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
- bird-dog
- chase
- course
- dog
- follow
- hound
- run
- shadow
- tag
- tail
- trace
- track
- trail
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
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. See More Recent Examples on the Web Since the case was not deemed a federal crime, the Bureau chose not to pursue it. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2022 His friends would take note of his new hobby — including Colorado's first Black Lt. Gov. George Brown, who saw Dwight's work and encouraged him to pursue it seriously. CBS News, 1 Sep. 2022 The latter, of course, exposed hardline members of the Right eager to pursue a massive military buildup as protection against the Soviets, as equally dense. John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Alternatively, ekev can mean to pursue, as in running on one’s heels to attain a certain goal. Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2022 The driver subsequently fled at a high rate of speed on Wilson Mills Road and officers did not pursue it. cleveland, 11 Aug. 2022 Just five years later, the New York guitarist Jonny Lam decided to pursue pedal steel as a way to differentiate himself in a city with a glut of guitarists. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 But, for instance, if a defensive back isn’t six-foot and has thirty-three-inch arms, Saban isn’t going to pursue him heavily. John Talty | Jtalty@al.com, al, 1 Aug. 2022 Chiuz, a 27-year-old videographer from North Hills, had decided to pursue barbering as a serious hobby weeks before. Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2022 See More
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2022 His friends would take note of his new hobby — including Colorado's first Black Lt. Gov. George Brown, who saw Dwight's work and encouraged him to pursue it seriously. CBS News, 1 Sep. 2022 The latter, of course, exposed hardline members of the Right eager to pursue a massive military buildup as protection against the Soviets, as equally dense. John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 Alternatively, ekev can mean to pursue, as in running on one’s heels to attain a certain goal. Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2022 The driver subsequently fled at a high rate of speed on Wilson Mills Road and officers did not pursue it. cleveland, 11 Aug. 2022 Just five years later, the New York guitarist Jonny Lam decided to pursue pedal steel as a way to differentiate himself in a city with a glut of guitarists. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 But, for instance, if a defensive back isn’t six-foot and has thirty-three-inch arms, Saban isn’t going to pursue him heavily. John Talty | Jtalty@al.com, al, 1 Aug. 2022 Chiuz, a 27-year-old videographer from North Hills, had decided to pursue barbering as a serious hobby weeks before. Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
pursue
verb
pur·sue pər-ˈsü
pursued; pursuing
1
: to follow after in order to catch or destroy : chase
A dog pursued the fleeing cat.
2
: to follow up or proceed with
He won't answer, so why pursue it?
3
: to try to get or do over a period of time
I've decided to pursue a degree in geography.
pursue
verb
1
as in to chase
to go after or on the track of the policeman doggedly pursued the pickpocket through the crowded subway station Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- chase
- track
- follow
- accompany
- escort
- course
- trace
- trail
- seek
- hound
- dog
- run after
- run
- tail
- watch
- shadow
- tag
- hunt
- bird-dog
- observe
- eye
- chaperone
- chaperon
- search (for)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- lead
- guide
- pilot
- head
2
as in to seek
to go in search of urged the graduates to pursue personal fulfillment instead of financial success Synonyms & Similar Words
- seek
- hunt
- quest
- look up
- chase (down)
- look for
- cast about (for)
- cast around (for)
- forage (for)
- search (for or out)
- shop (for)
- ferret (out)
- root (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- lose
- hide
- ignore
- neglect
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of pursue are chase, follow, and trail. While all these words mean "to go after or on the track of something or someone," pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain.
pursued the criminal through narrow streets
While in some cases nearly identical to pursue, chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running.
a dog chasing a cat
The synonyms follow and pursue are sometimes interchangeable, but follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake.
friends followed me home in their car
In some situations, the words trail and pursue are roughly equivalent. However, trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object.
trail deer
trailed a suspect across the country