pursue

verb

pur·sue | \ pər-ˈsü

, -ˈsyü\

pursued; pursuing

Definition of pursue

transitive verb

1 : to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, or defeat

2 : to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish : seek pursue a goal

3 : to proceed along pursues a northern course

4a : to engage in pursue a hobby

b : to follow up or proceed with pursue an argument

5 : to continue to afflict : haunt was pursued by horrible memories

6 : chase entry 2 sense 1c pursued by dozens of fans

intransitive verb

: to go in pursuit

Other Words from pursue Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about pursue

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Choose the Right Synonym for pursue

chase, pursue, follow, trail mean to go after or on the track of something or someone. chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running. a dog chasing a cat pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain. pursued the criminal through narrow streets follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake. friends followed me home in their car trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object. trail deer trailed a suspect across the country

Examples of pursue in a Sentence

It is this peace among the Great Powers—at least for the near term—that makes it truly possible both to pursue my vision of the post-Cold War world and, at the same time, to hedge against failure by maintaining the capacity to protect ourselves and our interests … — Robert S. McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995 The monster truck pursued him at insane speeds, through phone booths and gas pumps and even over cliffs, but he never knew why. — Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 14-28 July 1994 In a world of nation-states the assumption that governments will pursue their own interests gives order and predictability to international affairs. — Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., American Heritage, 3 May/June 1994 Hounds pursued the fox for miles. The criminal is being pursued by police. He chose to pursue a college degree. She wants to pursue a legal career.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, while PwC’s survey showed there is broad support for inclusiveness at the board level, men and women are not equally enthusiastic about pursuing it. — NBC News, "What happens when there are more women than men in the board room?," 6 June 2019 But new evidence of its feasibility bolsters the case for pursuing it. — Eric Niiler, WIRED, "What to Do About CO2? Try Stuffing It Into the Gulf of Mexico," 6 June 2019 But this cycle has placed a larger spotlight on unionizing within campaigns as higher-profile campaigns have decided to pursue it. — Lissandra Villa, Time, "These Democratic Candidates Are Unionizing Their Staffs, And It Could Change Campaign Work," 5 June 2019 Texas A&M and Florida are among the other schools believed to be pursuing him as a graduate transfer. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "John Calipari still open to further additions to 2019-20 Kentucky roster," 4 June 2019 Could this controversy impact how NBA teams pursue him as a free agent this summer? — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Kawhi Leonard vs. Nike: Analyzing the Raptors' Star's Logo Lawsuit," 4 June 2019 Teams in contention will be pursuing them hard this week and each should have a range of options. — Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, "Where will Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel sign? Breaking down the five best landing spots," 4 June 2019 Officers pursued him and the chase continued into Kansas, ending when Moses ran into a ditch in Wathena. — Katie Moore, kansascity, "Kansas City man who allegedly ran over a Cameron police officer charged with assault," 3 June 2019 After her tearful exit, Chloe continued to pursue her passion for dance by joining Pittsburgh’s Studio 19 and later switching to Dance Mechanics in Allison Park, PA. — Mackenzie Dunn, Woman's Day, "How Chloe Lukasiak Is Moving On From Her 'Dance Moms' Past," 26 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pursue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.