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

Keep scrolling for more

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

While these practices have always been environmentally unfriendly, they have generally been pursued under the notion that nature is fundamentally and infinitely resilient. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "The Staggering Worldwide Decline of Insects Is a Warning of Ecosystem Collapse," 13 Feb. 2019 The Ethics Committee can also decide to pursue further sanctions. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Sexual Harassment on the Hill," 28 Dec. 2018 Sunrun has pursued none of the same cutbacks that Tesla has imposed on SolarCity. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Tesla’s SolarCity lost ground to Sunrun in 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 The plan hit its first hurdle in September, as a compromise was coming together, when Republican leaders decided to pursue one last chance at Obamacare repeal (with Alexander’s support) rather than rescue the law. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Lamar Alexander, pillar of Washington’s old guard, is retiring from the Senate," 17 Dec. 2018 Unlike their cousins Prince William and Prince Harry, the two sisters have pursued jobs outside of the palace walls over the past few years. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "What Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Do for a Living," 11 Oct. 2018 However, the team decided ultimately not to pursue a deal. — Josh Robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Magic likely done adding through free agency this summer, Weltman says," 10 July 2018 For much of the year, there was little criticism or questioning of the city's decision to pursue the convention. — Steve Harrison, charlotteobserver, "Mayor Lyles defends pursuit of Republican convention to skeptical fellow Democrats," 11 July 2018 While Randazzo and his neighbors have been pursuing the situation since 2015, Ald. — Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "City looks to fix long-time flooding issue in Aurora neighborhood," 10 July 2018

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.