sought
Americanverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Explanation
I have long sought an answer to the following question: If sought is the past tense of seek, how come you say "we played hide and seek all afternoon" instead of "we hid and sought all afternoon?" Seek means to look for, and sought is what you say when you're done with the looking. "As a young man, I sought my fortune. Now it is time for me to sit by the fire, searching for the long-sought-after answer to the timeless question 'What did it all mean?'"
Vocabulary lists containing sought
"O Captain! My Captain!" Vocabulary from the poem
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
According to the watchdog group, officers sought charges against Ludwig even after they realized the mistake, booking him on charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
At Revelio Labs, researchers looked at how much companies have embraced AI, based on the skills and titles sought in job postings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Hichilema, a businessman who won office in 2021 on his sixth attempt, has pursued market-friendly reforms, abolished the death penalty and sought to restore investor confidence.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
The district has sought to squeeze more money from the state and feds by billing Medicaid for health-related spending like school psychologists and nurses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Are sought in vain, and o'er each mouldering tower,
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
