chase 1 of 2

Definition of chasenext
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chase

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noun

1
as in prey
an animal that is hunted or killed the gazelle is a favorite chase of lions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word chase distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of chase are follow, pursue, and trail. While all these words 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

When could follow be used to replace chase?

The words follow and chase are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake.

friends followed me home in their car

When is it sensible to use pursue instead of chase?

While the synonyms pursue and chase are close in meaning, pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain.

pursued the criminal through narrow streets

When can trail be used instead of chase?

The synonyms trail and chase are sometimes interchangeable, but trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object.

trail deer
trailed a suspect across the country

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of chase
Verb
For the Heat, any lottery outcome that gives the Bucks something to chase other than a Heat package will stand, at least in theory, as a setback. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2026 The Tigers didn’t chase his fastball. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2026
Noun
Described as having shades of the dystopian vibe of John Carpenter classic Escape from New York and the chase-across-America cult classic Vanishing Point, the cyberpunk action comic will tell the story in a way not seen too often in modern publishing. Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026 For the most hard-core searchers, Radford believes the social aspect – getting together, spending a night in the woods with the tools of the trade like nightscope cameras and parabolic microphones – is the real draw of the chase. Andy Rose, CNN Money, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for chase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chase
Verb
  • Zach Pop, who strained his calf, pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.
    Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 10 May 2026
  • The three-time All-Star, who underwent a cleanup procedure on his left elbow over the offseason, is expected to make his next start with the Yankees after completing his third rehab outing on Wednesday.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • The drone logistics sector has largely pursued faster, heavier aircraft capable of carrying large deliveries over long distances.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
  • The duo originally conceived the company while studying at Cornell University, ultimately choosing to leave their studies to pursue that mission.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Students at a California elementary school are banding together to raise awareness and money to save the bald eagle hunting area at San Bernardino National Forest's Big Bear Valley, home of the viral bald eagles Jackie and Shadow.
    Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 14 May 2026
  • Becky Hill reads Alex Murdaugh 2023 guilty verdict In 2023, Murdaugh was convicted of gunning down his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family’s hunting estate in 2021.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • After racing across the state to collect signatures, that campaign, called People Not Politicians, last year turned in more than 300,000 signatures to force a statewide vote on the map in November.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
  • As the drivers raced into Turn 1, a handful of drivers were caught up in a spin.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • But for predatory species that need prey to eat, growing them in a lab is more challenging.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026
  • As prey moved deeper or disappeared in warming waters, marine mammals were forced to travel farther and work harder to find food, leaving more stranded or in distress along the coast.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Noun
  • Allin, showing his guts, kept his pursuit of glory.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
  • Certainly like Trump in his first race for the presidency, Pratt is upping his brand (and book sales) in the process of his electoral pursuits.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • The court recommended that the petition be dismissed, and that the organizations be given one month to submit the employee lists.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • Even the foundations of today’s artificial intelligence boom were laid by the NSF in the 1980s and 1990s, when neural networks were a backwater dismissed by mainstream computer science.
    Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • The campaign finance watchdog group OpenSecrets tracked more than $4 billion in outside political spending in the 2024 federal elections — almost 12 times as much as in 2008.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 May 2026
  • The drone program was launched last year as a way to respond to certain calls before officers arrive, providing real-time video of active scenes, tracking suspects and helping coordinate responses on the ground.
    Ben Wheeler May 12, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chase. Accessed 15 May. 2026.

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