pursue

verb

pur·​sue pər-ˈsü 

-ˈsyü

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

4

a

: 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

pursuer noun

Synonyms

• chase
• track
• follow
• accompany

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

In November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the criminal convictions against him, ruling that his rights were violated when a special prosecutor pursued charges after the Cook County State's Attorney previously dropped them. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 21 June 2025

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—the Supreme Leader since 1989 and now eighty-six years old—pursues his regime’s martial goals and ominous fantasies. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 21 June 2025

The university is not pursuing legal action against Lucas, just UM, according to Yahoo. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 June 2025

However, Republicans are allowed to still retrieve unobligated funds from the law and have pursued other means of repeal. —Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 21 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for pursue

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

pursue

verb

pur·​sue pər-ˈsü 

pursued; pursuing

1

: to follow in order to catch up with and seize

2

: to try to obtain or accomplish : seek

pursue pleasure

3

: to proceed along

pursue a northerly course

4

: to engage in : practice

pursue a hobby

5

: to continue to distress severely : haunt

pursued by fear

pursuer noun

Etymology

Middle English pursuen "to follow in order to capture or kill," derived from early French pursure, pursiure (same meaning), derived from Latin prosequi "to follow after, pursue," from pro- "forward" and sequi "to follow" — related to sequel