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pursue Definition

pur·sue (pər so̵̅o̅′, -syo̵̅o̅′)

transitive verb -·sued′, -·su′·ing

  1. to follow in order to overtake, capture, or kill; chase
  2. to proceed along, follow, or continue with (a specified course, action, plan, etc.)
  3. to try to find, get, win, etc.; strive for; seek after to pursue success
  4. to have as one's occupation, profession, or study; devote oneself to
  5. to continue to annoy or distress; hound pursued by bad luck

Etymology: ME pursuen < OFr poursuir < VL prosequere, for L prosequi < pro-, forth + sequi, to follow: see sequent

intransitive verb

  1. to chase
  2. to go on; continue

pursue Related Forms
pur·su′er noun
pursue Synonyms

pursue

v.

  1. To chase

    seek, hound, track, track down, dog, shadow, search for, search out, give chase, stalk, run after, search after, get after, go after, send after, prowl after, gun down, hunt down, trail, tag with, direct one's steps, camp on the trail of, follow close upon, move behind, hunt out, fish out, scout out, nose around, poke around, fasten oneself upon, keep on foot, follow up, attach oneself to, ask for, dig for, go running for, gun for, delve for, look about for.

  2. To seek

    strive for, try for, aspire to, attempt; see try 1.

  3. To continue

    persevere, proceed, follow up, carry on; see continue 1.

pursue Usage Examples

Object

  • career: Our trainees, mostly from school, have gone on to pursue careers in the trades at the local building college.
  • claim: We shall continue to pursue claims for adequate compensation from the Council.
  • agenda: In any event, we are rigorously pursuing the agenda of economic reform within Europe with our European partners.
  • goal: We have a wonderful pattern for pursuing the goal in Paul.
  • avenue: Revolt is also pursuing legal avenues on human rights and on constitutional rights.
  • policy: Kaiser Karl who assumed the supreme command pursued policies in favor of peace.

Subject

  • demon: She is a woman pursued by demons, fuelled by the loss of her mother and her own baby.
  • police: And 17 of them have occured when a vehicle has crashed whilst being pursued by the police themselves.

Preposition: through

  • court: This case may have significant ramifications for future cases of workplace bullying which are pursued through the civil courts.

Modifying Another Word

  • vigorously: Councilor Hussey urged that this be pursued vigorously in view of the benefits of the linkage between Sioux Falls, Strabane and mainland Europe.
  • aggressively: The American Trotskyists now aggressively pursued contacts with the Congress Socialists.
  • actively: Falconry terms were at one time only in the language of the nobility who actively pursued the medieval art.
  • hotly: Stella McCartney was close behind, the two were hotly pursued by a pack of panting photographers.
  • energetically: Most importantly, like most people with AD(H)D he would pursue energetically and conscientiously matters in which he had great interest.
  • rigorously: In any event, we are rigorously pursuing the agenda of economic reform within Europe with our European partners.

Used with why or when

  • what: Always pursue what is good, noble, beautiful.

Preposition: in

  • isolation: Understanding the Korean people cannot be pursued in isolation from the reality of their interaction with these four cultural universes.
  • collaboration: This work is being pursued in collaboration with the Dept of Community, Occupational, and Family Medicine at the National University Hospital.

Preposition: by

  • demon: She is a woman pursued by demons, fuelled by the loss of her mother and her own baby.
  • police: And 17 of them have occured when a vehicle has crashed whilst being pursued by the police themselves.
pursue Quotes

And as for you, archers, soldiers, gentlemen, and all otherswhoare besieging Orleans,depart in God'sname to your own country† I assure you that wherever I find your people in France I shall fight them, and pursue them, and expel them from here, whether they will or not.

—StJoan of Arc

Browse dictionary entries near pursue

  1. ‹ pursuant
  2. ‹ pursuance
  3. ‹ purslane
  4. ‹ purser
  5. ‹ purse strings
  6. ‹ purse seine
  7. ‹ purse-proud
  8. ‹ purse crab
  9. ‹ purse
  10. ‹ purr
  1. pursuing ›
  2. pursuit ›
  3. pursuit of happiness ›
  4. pursuit plane ›
  5. pursuivant ›
  6. pursy ›
  7. purtenance ›
  8. purulent ›
  9. purvey ›
  10. purveyance ›