pursue

verb

pur·sue pər-ˈsü

-ˈsyü

pursued; pursuing

transitive verb

: to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, or defeat

: to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish : seek

pursue a goal

: to proceed along

pursues a northern course

: to engage in

pursue a hobby

: to follow up or proceed with

pursue an argument

: to continue to afflict : haunt

was pursued by horrible memories

: chase entry 2 sense 1c

pursued by dozens of fans

intransitive verb

: to go in pursuit

pursuer noun

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

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

Recent Examples on the Web Wilson Beckman, 26 years old, of Chicago, quit his job at an advertising agency in July because of burnout and his decision to pursue a new career.

Bryan Mena, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2022 Invest in Girls also empowered Tipirneni to pursue a career in asset management.

Katie Mogg, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2022 This was from a stay-at-home mom who resented her sister’s choice to pursue a career in the arts.

Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 18 Nov. 2022 This was from a stay-at-home mom who resented her sister’s choice to pursue a career in the arts.

Amy Dickinson, cleveland, 18 Nov. 2022 This was from a stay-at-home mom who resented her sister’s choice to pursue a career in the arts.

Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Nov. 2022 What's more, the emergency happened in the midst of her debating on whether to move her family to Boston and pursue a career in Alzheimer's research.

Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 18 Nov. 2022 Equally surprised to see Chrissy, Luke is still angry as their relationship has been strained ever since Chrissy left to pursue a solo career.

al, 17 Nov. 2022 Fried joined the band in 2014 after former drummer Bryan Sammis left to pursue a solo career.

Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2022 See More

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.