Showing results for "sought"

• past participle of seek.
• past tense form of seek.

sought

American  

[sawt] / sɔt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of seek.

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sought British  

/ sɔːt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of seek

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Other Word Forms

• self-sought
  adjective
• unsought
  adjective

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?'"

Example Sentences

He cut ties with the extremist group more than a decade ago and has long sought to position himself as a mainstream political leader.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

They have demanded the court maintain a five-year ban and sought a four-year term, with three years suspended.

From Barron's • Jul. 7, 2026

Brady, who was born in Bathgate, West Lothian, sought a diagnosis about five years ago as she was experiencing meltdowns.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

Defense attorneys in previous hearings sought to suppress various evidence and unsuccessfully attempted to ban cameras from the courtroom during the preliminary proceedings that began on Monday.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

I sought the key of the side-door in the kitchen; I sought, too, a phial of oil and a feather; I oiled the key and the lock.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë