pursue

play

verb pur·sue \pər-ˈsü, -ˈsyü\

Definition of pursue

pursued

;

pursuing

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 hobbyb : to follow up or proceed with pursue an argument
5 : to continue to afflict : haunt was pursued by horrible memories
6 : ²chase 1c pursued by dozens of fans
intransitive verb
: to go in pursuit

pursuer

noun

See pursue defined for English-language learners

See pursue defined for kids

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 of pursue from the Web

In this narrative, progress will be made again after the party’s five-yearly congress this autumn, when Mr Xi will have a freer hand to pursue reforms.

— The Economist, "Unnatural selectionChina’s state enterprises are not retreating but advancing," 20 July 2017
He is dedicated to pursuing the education that was stolen from him during ISIS' occupation, and notes how few of his peers break from the mold of going straight to the military after graduating high school.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "In "Generation 2000," Iraqi Teens Who Escaped ISIS Tell Their Stories," 20 July 2017
AECOM, a Los Angeles design and engineering firm, has built a team interested in pursuing the KCI project, as well.

— steve vockrodt, kansascity, "Burns & McDonnell: We’ll start KCI construction Nov. 8," 18 July 2017
That might be because many universities don’t have the financial and legal resources necessary to pursue a lot of patents, Katz notes.

— maggie kuo, Science | AAAS, "Relatively few NIH grantees get lion’s share of agency’s funding," 18 July 2017
Their pressing question is: Why didn’t the Obama administration pursue other important Chinese facilitators beyond DHID?

— bill powell, MSNBC Newsweek, "Will Trump Stop the 10 Chinese Companies Supplying North Korea's Nuclear Program?," 13 July 2017
The airlines and their unions have been hoping that the Trump administration would pursue the matter, given its interest in trade issues, after the Obama administration declined to intercede.

— steve kaskovich, star-telegram, "American Airlines cuts marketing ties with Qatar, Etihad airlines," 12 July 2017
Blac could also pursue a civil or family court lawsuit against Rob, which could lead to monetary fines, a restraining order or lost custody of their infant daughter, Dream.

— lily herman, Teen Vogue, "Why Rob Kardashian Could Possibly Face Revenge Porn Charges," 6 July 2017
Town suggested authorities may have evidence of or pursue additional charges against Sayyed.

— ashley remkus, AL.com, "Huntsville terrorism suspect pledged allegiance to ISIS, wanted to bomb police, prosecutor says," 5 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of pursue

Middle English, from Anglo-French pursure, pursiure, from Latin prosequi, from pro- forward + sequi to follow — more at pro-, sue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

PURSUE Defined for English Language Learners

pursue

play

verb

Definition of pursue for English Language Learners

: to follow and try to catch or capture (someone or something) for usually a long distance or time
: to try to get or do (something) over a period of time
: to be involved in (an activity)

PURSUE Defined for Kids

pursue

play

verb pur·sue \pər-ˈsü\

Definition of pursue for Students

pursued

;

pursuing

1 : to follow after in order to catch or destroy : chase A dog pursued the fleeing cat.
2 : to follow up or proceed with He won't answer, so why pursue it?
3 : to try to get or do over a period of time I've decided to pursue a degree in geography.