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• chase
  chase

  verb (used with object)

  to pursue in order to seize, overtake, etc..
• Chase
  Chase

  noun

  Mary Ellen, 1887–1973, U.S. educator, novelist, and essayist.

chase

¹ American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

verb (used with object)

chased, chasing

1. to pursue in order to seize, overtake, etc..

   The police officer chased the thief.

2. to pursue with intent to capture or kill, as game; hunt.

   to chase deer.

3. to follow or devote one's attention to with the hope of attracting, winning, gaining, etc..

   He chased her for three years before she consented to marry him.

4. to drive or expel by force, threat, or harassment.

   She chased the cat out of the room.

   Synonyms:

   scatter, rout, oust

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verb (used without object)

chased, chasing

1. to follow in pursuit.

   to chase after someone.

2. to rush or hasten.

   We spent the weekend chasing around from one store to another.

noun

1. the act of chasing; pursuit.

   The chase lasted a day.

   Synonyms:

   quest, hunt

2. an object of pursuit; something chased.

3. Chiefly British. a private game preserve; a tract of privately owned land reserved for, and sometimes stocked with, animals and birds to be hunted.

4. British. the right of keeping game or of hunting on the land of others.

5. a steeplechase.

6. the chase, the sport or occupation of hunting.

   the excitement of the chase.

verb phrase

1. give chase to pursue.

   The hunt began and the dogs gave chase.

idioms

1. cut to the chase, to get to the main point.

chase ² American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

noun

1. a rectangular iron frame in which composed type is secured or locked for printing or platemaking.

2. Building Trades. a space or groove in a masonry wall or through a floor for pipes or ducts.

3. a groove, furrow, or trench; a lengthened hollow.

4. Ordnance.

   1. the part of a gun in front of the trunnions.

   2. the part containing the bore.

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chase ³ American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

verb (used with object)

chased, chasing

1. to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.

2. to cut (a screw thread), as with a chaser or machine tool.

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Chase ⁴ American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

noun

1. Mary Ellen, 1887–1973, U.S. educator, novelist, and essayist.

2. Salmon Portland 1808–73, U.S. jurist and statesman: secretary of the treasury 1861–64; chief justice of the U.S. 1864–73.

3. Samuel, 1741–1811, U.S. jurist and leader in the American Revolution: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1796–1811.

4. Stuart, 1888–1985, U.S. economist and writer.

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chase ¹ British  

/ tʃeɪs /

verb

1. to follow or run after (a person, animal, or goal) persistently or quickly

2. (tr; often foll by out, away, or off) to force to run (away); drive (out)

3. informal (tr) to court (a member of the opposite sex) in an unsubtle manner

4. informal to pursue persistently and energetically in order to obtain results, information, etc

   chase up the builders and get a delivery date

5. informal (intr) to hurry; rush

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noun

1. the act of chasing; pursuit

2. any quarry that is pursued

3. an unenclosed area of land where wild animals are preserved to be hunted

4. the right to hunt a particular quarry over the land of others

5. the act or sport of hunting

6. short for steeplechase

7. real tennis a ball that bounces twice, requiring the point to be played again

8. informal to start talking about the important aspects of something

9. to pursue (a person, animal, or thing) actively

chase ² British  

/ tʃeɪs /

noun

1. printing a rectangular steel or cast-iron frame into which metal type and blocks making up pages are locked for printing or plate-making

2. the part of a gun barrel from the front of the trunnions to the muzzle

3. a groove or channel, esp one that is cut in a wall to take a pipe, cable, etc

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verb

1. Also: chamfer.  to cut a groove, furrow, or flute in (a surface, column, etc)

chase ³ British  

/ tʃeɪs /

verb

1. Also: enchase.  to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing

2. to form or finish (a screw thread) with a chaser

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chase More Idioms  

1. see ambulance chaser; cut to the chase; give chase; go fly a kite (chase yourself); lead a merry chase; run (chase) after; wild goose chase.

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Other Word Forms

• chaseable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of chase¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chacen, chacien, from Middle French chasser “to hunt,” Old French chacier, from unattested Vulgar Latin captiāre; see catch

Origin of chase²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French chas, chasse, from Late Latin capsus (masculine), capsum (neuter) “fully or partly enclosed space,” variant of capsa case ²

Origin of chase³

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English chased (past participle); shortened variant of enchase

Explanation

To chase is to follow or go after someone or something you want. This activity is called a chase. Dogs chase cats, cats chase mice, and mice are in big trouble. The word chase tried to run away from the Old French word chacier for "to hunt or strive for,” but we caught it. Any time you’re trying to get something that’s trying to get away from you, you chase it. Police officers chase criminals, and kids playing tag chase each other all over the yard. You can also chase things that aren't physical, like a dream or a goal. This activity itself is called a chase.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chase Chase chased chasing

“Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Sunrisers have boasted one of the most powerful top orders in the tournament but struggled under the pressure of a mammoth run chase and they finished 166-7.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

What happens to brands’ AI clout chase then?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

It also means that as a business strategy, refreshers can chase every single trend that comes up online with seeming ease.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

“It’s not like they can chase us on foot.”

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

The chief of JP Morgan Chase is warning Chancellor John Healey not to raise taxes on banks as it will risk driving jobs elsewhere, the Financial Times reports.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Fans of the opposing Golden State Valkyries cheered Carrington’s return to Chase Center after the outrage over her Aug. 8 flagrant foul against Cunningham.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

JPMorgan JPM 0.03%increase; green up pointing triangle Chase ended its banking relationship with prediction market Polymarket last October over regulatory concerns, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

I called Chase to cancel an airline card with a $229 fee because I get most of the benefits elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Chase realized why the photos of Dr. Krupp’s husband looked familiar.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

The Barclays team found that over the past week, during which the S&P 500 hit a fresh record high, “skews across global indices collapsed as investors chased the rally and demand for protection faded.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Another video showed a journalist being chased by a crowd in the eastern city of Patna.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

An All-Star with the Twins in 2022, he then was traded to Miami, where he chased a .400 average in the first half of the 2023 season and led the Marlins to the playoffs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

He sped off with the car to Elk Grove, where he was chased by police and helicopters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The spirit tower halls spilled over with excitement as trainees moved between sessions and chased the new Halloween decorations popping up all over the Institute.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

When Rees hears of the mobile-home park being relocated, she thinks of the landlord who gets to retire with a windfall after chasing rent for years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Novak Djokovic spent years chasing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, trying to match them in tennis achievements and fan adulation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

"We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us," WHO Africa director Dr Mohamed Janabi said at a news conference in the city of Bunia, near the centre of the outbreak.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

That means leaving certain markets and trimming benefits, rather than chasing subscriber gains.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

I only hoped he’d learned his lesson about chasing mice, or at least me.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• drive
• drive away
• expel
• follow
• go after
• hound
• hunt
• run down
• rush
• tear
• track
• trail