sought

verb

past tense and past participle of seek

transitive verb

1
: to resort to : go to
2
a
: to go in search of : look for
b
: to try to discover
3
: to ask for : request
seeks advice
4
: to try to acquire or gain : aim at
seek fame
5
: to make an attempt : try
used with to and an infinitive
governments … seek to keep the bulk of their people contentedD. M. Potter

intransitive verb

1
: to make a search or inquiry
2
a
: to be sought
b
: to be lacking
in critical judgment … they were sadly to seekThe Times Literary Supplement (London)

Examples of sought in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The plan, put forward by infamous Nazi Gestapo chief Heinrich Himmler, sought to take advantage of the natural migration patterns of storks to send Nazi propaganda leaflets from Germany to the Boers of South Africa. Scott Travers, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024 Russia has in recent years sought to claim territory up to Greenland's Exclusive Economic Zone. Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 24 Dec. 2024 While it has not been confirmed whether the dog was a service animal, others hit back at the frustrated passenger and sought to defend the rights of disabled travelers. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024 Bauman sought to divert funding Ald. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024 Government officials in both countries have since sought to cool things down. Saif Hasnat Atul Loke, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024 To date, many of the actions taken by Washington have sought to target the most cutting-edge chips, in particular those used in the booming artificial intelligence sector. Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 23 Dec. 2024

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sought. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

sought

past and past participle of seek

More from Merriam-Webster on sought

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!