chase

[cheys]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chase ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), chased, chas·ing.

to pursue in order to seize, overtake, etc.: The police officer chased the thief.

to pursue with intent to capture or kill, as game; hunt: to chase deer.

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.

to drive or expel by force, threat, or harassment: She chased the cat out of the room.

verb (used without object), chased, chas·ing.

to follow in pursuit: to chase after someone.

to rush or hasten: We spent the weekend chasing around from one store to another.

noun

the act of chasing; pursuit: The chase lasted a day.

an object of pursuit; something chased.

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

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

a steeplechase.

the chase, the sport or occupation of hunting.

Verb Phrases

give chase, to pursue: The hunt began and the dogs gave chase.

Idioms

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

Origin of chase

1250–1300; Middle English chacen < Middle French chasser to hunt, Old French chacier < Vulgar Latin *captiāre; see catch

Related formschase·a·ble, adjective

Can be confusedcelibate chased chaste chest

Synonyms for chase

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chase ON THESAURUS.COM

4. oust, rout, scatter. 7. hunt, quest.

chase

[cheys]

noun

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

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

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

Ordnance.

the part of a gun in front of the trunnions.
the part containing the bore.

Origin of chase

1570–80; < Middle French chas, chasse < Late Latin capsus (masculine), capsum (neuter) fully or partly enclosed space, variant of capsa case²

chase

[cheys]

verb (used with object), chased, chas·ing.

to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.

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

Origin of chase

1400–50; late Middle English chased (past participle); aphetic variant of enchase

Chase

[cheys]

noun

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

Sal·mon Portland

[sal-muh n] /ˈsæl mən/, 1808–73, U.S. jurist and statesman: secretary of the treasury 1861–64; chief justice of the U.S. 1864–73.

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for chase

quest, hunt, race, tear, rush, expel, drive, trail, track, follow, hound, hunting, speed, course, charge, seek, chivy, shag, venery, bird-dog

Examples from the Web for chase

Contemporary Examples of chase

You meant to chase every glass of wine with a pitcher of H2O, but the holiday cheer somehow steered you off course.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many
DailyBurn
December 19, 2014
Maybe our dear bear should sit quietly, not chase piglets and just eat berries and honey.
After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug
Anna Nemtsova
December 18, 2014
She stormed off next door, where the business owner tried to chase Wislon off before the bandit squeezed off a round.
Post Office Robbers More Wanted Than ISIS
M.L. Nestel
December 13, 2014
Chase supplements this general directive with some more pragmatic suggestions for women looking to find sexual fulfillment.
Was 2014 the Year Science Discovered The Female Orgasm?
Samantha Allen
December 6, 2014
As soon as the criminal left the shop, the victim snapped back into consciousness and tried to chase after him.
Thief Hypnotizes Shopkeeper, Then Robs Him
Nico Hines
December 5, 2014

Historical Examples of chase

They were recovered and brought back, after a chase of a mile.
The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California
Brevet Col. J.C. Fremont
He would go in, he would overhaul Sally, and then finish the chase with a play of revolvers.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
He turned the creams from the road, filled with the spirit of the chase.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
You will find what you hunt for, track 'em right along and chase 'em down.
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 2.
Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
In an hour or two, half the constables in Charleston were in chase of me.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for chase

chase

verb

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

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

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

(tr often foll by up) informal to pursue persistently and energetically in order to obtain results, information, etcchase up the builders and get a delivery date

(intr) informal to hurry; rush

noun

the act of chasing; pursuit

any quarry that is pursued

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

British the right to hunt a particular quarry over the land of others

the chase the act or sport of hunting

short for steeplechase

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

cut to the chase informal, mainly US to start talking about the important aspects of something

give chase to pursue (a person, animal, or thing) actively

Derived Formschaseable, adjective

Word Origin for chase

C13: from Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin captiāre (unattested), from Latin captāre to pursue eagerly, from capere to take; see catch

chase

noun

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

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

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

verb (tr)

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

Word Origin for chase

C17 (in the sense: frame for letterpress matter): probably from French châsse frame (in the sense: bore of a cannon, etc): from Old French chas enclosure, from Late Latin capsus pen for animals; both from Latin capsa case ²

chase

verb (tr)

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

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

Word Origin for chase

C14: from Old French enchasser enchase

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

Word Origin and History for chase

c.1300, chacen "to hunt; to cause to go away; put to flight," from Old French chacier "to hunt, ride swiftly, strive for" (12c., Modern French chasser), from Vulgar Latin *captiare (source of Italian cacciare, Catalan casar, Spanish cazar, Portuguese caçar "to chase, hunt;" see catch (v.)).

Meaning "run after" developed mid-14c. Related: Chased; chasing. Older European words for "pursue" often also cover "persecute" (e.g. Greek dioko, Old English ehtan); modern ones often derive from words used primarily for the hunting of animals.

n.1

mid-13c., chace, "a hunt," from Old French chace "a hunt, a chase; hunting ground" (12c.), from chacier (see chase (v.)). Meaning "a pursuit" (of an enemy, etc.) is early 14c.

n.2

"bore of a gun barrel," 1640s, from French chas "eye of a needle; enclosure," from Vulgar Latin *capsum, variant of Latin capsa "box" (see case (n.2)).

Idioms and Phrases with chase

chase

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.