SOUGHT (OUT) Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

sought (out)

verb

Definition of sought (out)

past tense of seek (out)

as in looked up

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in looked

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sought (out)

Verb

Burgos then looked up the woman’s driver’s license picture on the DMV database, which several officers told internal affairs probably violated department policy, according to the report.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Shedeur Sanders, formerly the quarterback of the Buffaloes and now for the Cleveland Browns, looked up at them and smiled.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of looked up

Verb

Two years later, when coached by New Zealander Warren Gatland, Wales learned that a haka was not technically over until any side looked away — and so began a tense 80-second stare-off between the two sides.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Extreme mountain climbing has never looked anything but miserable from the distance of a screening room, and The Other Side delivers mightily on all that scraping, straining, gasping toil.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of looked

Verb

Next came an exhibition around a creepy Howdy Doody-ish figure that met countless violent fates while being cast about mechanistically on chains in 2016.

— Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Meriwether’s video comes after comments from the show’s cast about a reunion.

— Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of cast about

Verb

Her mother, Louise, never hunted herself, despite being married to one of the most famous hunters in the world.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Our heroes decide to pull off a massive heist in Brazil, stealing $100 million from a powerful crime lord in hopes of securing their freedom, all while being hunted by federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson).

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of hunted

Verb

Oliver grabbed a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to seven in just four games after four against Leeds United the previous week.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
At 4 o’clock on a Thursday morning, Salomon Olea grabbed a packed lunch of a ham-and- cheese torta and a white peach, kissed his wife goodbye and left the home in Escondido he’s owned for nearly 30 years.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of grabbed

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.

Browse Nearby Words

sought

sought (out)

soul

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sought (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sought%20%28out%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sought (out)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

churlish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes