pursue

[ per-soo ]

/ pərˈsu /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pursue ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.

to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chase.

to follow close upon; go with; attend: Bad luck pursued him.

to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish (an end, object, purpose, etc.).

to proceed in accordance with (a method, plan, etc.).

to carry on or continue (a course of action, a train of thought, an inquiry, studies, etc.).

to continue to annoy, afflict, or trouble.

to practice (an occupation, pastime, etc.).

to continue to discuss (a subject, topic, etc.).

to follow: They pursued the river to its source. I felt their eyes pursuing me.

to continue; go on with (one's course, a journey, etc.).

verb (used without object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.

to chase after someone or something; to follow in pursuit: They spotted the suspect but decided not to pursue.

to continue.

Origin of pursue

1250–1300; Middle English pursuen < Anglo-French pursuer ≪ Latin prōsequī to pursue, follow, continue. See pro-¹, sue, prosecute

SYNONYMS FOR pursue

1 trail, hunt.

2 dog.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pursue ON THESAURUS.COM

historical usage of pursue

The current spelling of the English verb pursue dates from about 1300. It is one of several former spellings, including perseve, pursiew, pursuwe. The Middle English variants come from Anglo-French and Old French porsure, poursuire, porsivre (with many other spelling variants), ultimately from Latin prōsequi “to attend (with honors or compliments), go in pursuit of, follow with hostile intent, harry, examine or follow up (a subject or topic), continue,” which is the source of English prosecute
The many Latin meanings of prōsequi carry over into Old French and Middle English, and by the end of the Middle English period, the word pursue already had all of its current meanings. On the other hand, the word prosecute originally meant “to follow up, pursue, continue,” but shortly afterward, in the early 16th century, it took on its primary current meaning “to institute legal proceedings.”

OTHER WORDS FROM pursue

pur·su·a·ble, adjective out·pur·sue, verb (used with object), out·pur·sued, out·pur·su·ing. re·pur·sue, verb (used with object), re·pur·sued, re·pur·su·ing. un·pur·su·a·ble, adjective

un·pur·sued, adjective un·pur·su·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pursue

peruse pursue

Words nearby pursue

purser, purslane, purslane family, pursuance, pursuant, pursue, pursuer, pursuit, pursuit plane, pursuivant, pursy

Example sentences from the Web for pursuing

So looking at that and that at that time I was also pursuing my career—so there was something here.

Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire |William O’Connor |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
For officials like Brohi, pursuing the drug traffickers in Turbat would mean crossing a political minefield.

The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan |Umar Farooq |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The final question we should ask: are they pursuing justice and the rule of law, or merely silencing those who embarrass them?

Sentencing Looms for Barrett Brown, Advocate for “Anonymous” |Kevin M. Gallagher |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
McCain said he, Corker, and Burr are also interested in pursuing more vigorous oversight of the Iran deal as well.

Republican Hawks Already Have a War Plan for ISIS, Ukraine, and Obama |Eli Lake |November 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Everything changes when Rick slips into a coma after being shot while pursuing a criminal.

The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero |Regina Lizik |October 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Go away, monsieur, you will not fail to catch the quarry you are pursuing.

The Red and the Black |Stendhal
Most of the long knives who are pursuing us were called out by the Great Father of the Illinois country.

Shaman |Robert Shea
He felt with an excited thrill that he was really running away with the Little Colonel, and rescuing her from a pursuing danger.

Two Little Knights of Kentucky |Annie Fellows Johnston
This, indeed, he was one of the last to pass before it was closed and barred to keep out the pursuing Romans.

Pearl-Maiden |H. Rider Haggard
Caron knew well enough, not a clerk in his office but knew well enough, that James had been pursuing this prize for years.

The Life of John of Barneveld, 1614-23, Volume II. |John Lothrop Motley

British Dictionary definitions for pursuing

pursue

/ (pəˈsjuː) /

verb -sues, -suing or -sued (mainly tr)

(also intr) to follow (a fugitive, etc) in order to capture or overtake

(esp of something bad or unlucky) to follow closely or accompany ill health pursued her

to seek or strive to attain (some object, desire, etc)

to follow the precepts of (a plan, policy, etc)

to apply oneself to (one's studies, hobbies, etc)

to follow persistently or seek to become acquainted with

to continue to discuss or argue (a point, subject, etc)

Derived forms of pursue

pursuer, noun

Word Origin for pursue

C13: from Anglo-Norman pursiwer, from Old French poursivre, from Latin prōsequī to follow after

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

pursue

verb (used with object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.

verb (used without object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.

Origin of pursue

SYNONYMS FOR pursue

historical usage of pursue

OTHER WORDS FROM pursue

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pursue

Words nearby pursue

Example sentences from the Web for pursuing

British Dictionary definitions for pursuing

verb -sues, -suing or -sued (mainly tr)

Derived forms of pursue

Word Origin for pursue

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

pursue

verb (used with object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.

verb (used without object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.

Origin of pursue

SYNONYMS FOR pursue

historical usage of pursue

OTHER WORDS FROM pursue

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pursue

Words nearby pursue

Words related to pursuing

Example sentences from the Web for pursuing

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for pursuing

verb -sues, -suing or -sued (mainly tr)

Derived forms of pursue

Word Origin for pursue

British Dictionary definitions for pursuing