pursue

verb

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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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Synonyms & Antonyms for pursue

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 the short term, Skinner hopes the roster’s wealth of athletes from the region will encourage young local talent to pursue the game at the next level. — Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando Pride strengthened by players’ Florida ties," 27 Feb. 2021 The 23-story neo-Gothic Barbizon was built in 1927 on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street as an upscale, clublike residential hotel for ambitious young women who dared to venture to New York on their own to pursue their dreams. — Heller Mcalpin, WSJ, "‘The Barbizon’ Review: Landmark and Launching Pad," 26 Feb. 2021 Mistaken identity spurs a foreign spy to pursue an innocent New Yorker, all the way to Mount Rushmore. — Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘Gandhi’; ‘Forrest Gump’ and more," 26 Feb. 2021 Fisher and Samuel Harbourt, a lawyer from Becerra’s office, both said police should have to show evidence of an emergency to pursue a misdemeanor suspect into a home without a warrant. — Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, "U.S. Supreme Court appears tilted toward allowing some searches without warrants," 24 Feb. 2021 The Dallas City Council is giving the city attorney’s office the go-ahead to pursue a lawsuit against streaming services to collect franchise fees from their operators. — Dom Difurio, Dallas News, "Dallas gives city attorneys go-ahead to sue Netflix, Hulu, other streaming services over franchise fees," 24 Feb. 2021 In October 1988, Angie Roloff and her husband Ron opened Strictly Discs in Madison, Wisconsin, after Ron left a career in the biomedical research field to pursue his love of music full time. — Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, "Strictly Discs in Wisconsin, in a Pandemic: 'We Have Decided Not to Apply' for Federal Assistance," 23 Feb. 2021 Timeus was found to have directed a West Linn detective to pursue an unsupported arrest of Fesser for a personal friend. — oregonlive, "Public access to police discipline records gets hearing in Oregon Legislature," 23 Feb. 2021 According to the Sheriff’s Office, the new team has obtained one subpoena, with the approval of the District Attorney’s Office, to pursue records from CPS Energy related to the death of the 69-year-old man. — Mark Dunphy, San Antonio Express-News, "Sheriff Salazar investigating 21 deaths that could be weather-related in Bexar County," 23 Feb. 2021

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.