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Synonyms

sought

American  
[sawt] / sɔt /

verb

  1. simple past tense and past participle of seek.

sought British  
/ sɔːt /

verb

  1. the past tense and past participle of seek

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • self-sought adjective
  • unsought adjective

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.

Despite its small population, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have sought asylum abroad.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Lee has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticising his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Popcorn became the go-to movie snack during the 1930s as theaters sought new revenue streams during the Great Depression, said film historian Ross Melnick, a professor at UC Santa Barbara.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Desperate and angry people sought information on relatives who had been taken away.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 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.