pursuit

American  

[per-soot] / pərˈsut /

noun

1. the act of pursuing.

   in pursuit of the fox.

   Synonyms:

   hunt, chase

2. an effort to secure or attain; quest.

   the pursuit of happiness.

   Synonyms:

   search

3. any occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily.

   literary pursuits.

   Synonyms:

   inclination, preoccupation, activity

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pursuit British  

/ pəˈsjuːt /

noun

1. 1. the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pursuit plane

2. an occupation, hobby, or pastime

3. (in cycling) a race in which the riders set off at intervals along the track and attempt to overtake each other

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Etymology

Origin of pursuit

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French purseute, from Vulgar Latin prōsequita (unrecorded), from Latin prōsecūta, feminine of prōsecūtus “followed,” past participle of prōsequī “to follow, continue”; pursue

Explanation

A pursuit is a chase or a quest for something. When a guard runs after an escaping jewel thief, she's in pursuit — while the thief may have stolen the jewels because he was in pursuit of wealth. Whether it's a police officer in a car chase or a student working towards a college degree at a university in the tropics, both can be considered in “hot pursuit.”  Derived from the Anglo-French purseute, pursuit means the act of pursuing or striving towards goals. In the late 14th century it implied persecution, but things have changed since then.

Example Sentences

Nothing captures Mr. Sankar’s ardent pursuit of a private-public defense symbiosis better than his call to seek out “heretics” and elevate them to positions of military and strategic authority.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Pinball was once considered immoral, a countercultural pursuit to be played in seedy spaces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

"We have always sought the truth, and will continue to champion the pursuit of complete clarity on the events of that devastating day and subsequent actions taken by the Metropolitan Police," they said.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

In a hyper-modern environment like the internet, so eager to eat itself alive in the pursuit of newness, the “End of Oak Street” fandom is delightfully prehistoric.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

The vague, secondhand report he would deliver would not likely cause the soldiers to leap into their saddles in pursuit of the two strangers.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Related Words

• accomplishment
• activity
• career
• occupation
• undertaking