chase1
[cheys]
- 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.
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- to follow in pursuit: to chase after someone.
- to rush or hasten: We spent the weekend chasing around from one store to another.
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- 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.
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- give chase, to pursue: The hunt began and the dogs gave chase.
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- cut to the chase, Informal. to get to the main point.
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Origin of chase1
1250–1300; Middle English chacen < Middle French chasser to hunt, Old French chacier < Vulgar Latin *captiāre; see catch
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comchase2
[cheys]
- 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.
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Origin of chase2
1570–80; < Middle French chas, chasse < Late Latin capsus (masculine), capsum (neuter) fully or partly enclosed space, variant of capsa case2
chase3
[cheys]
- to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.
- to cut (a screw thread), as with a chaser or machine tool.
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Origin of chase3
Chase
[cheys]
- 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.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
questhuntracetearrushexpeldrivetrailtrackfollowhoundhuntingspeedcoursechargeseekchivyshagvenerybird-dogExamples from the Web for chase
Contemporary Examples
You meant to chase every glass of wine with a pitcher of H2O, but the holiday cheer somehow steered you off course.
Maybe our dear bear should sit quietly, not chase piglets and just eat berries and honey.
She stormed off next door, where the business owner tried to chase Wislon off before the bandit squeezed off a round.
Chase supplements this general directive with some more pragmatic suggestions for women looking to find sexual fulfillment.
As soon as the criminal left the shop, the victim snapped back into consciousness and tried to chase after him.
Historical Examples
They were recovered and brought back, after a chase of a mile.
The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and CaliforniaBrevet 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 LawlessMax Brand
He turned the creams from the road, filled with the spirit of the chase.
Chip, of the Flying UB. 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 MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
chase1
- 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
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- 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
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin captiāre (unattested), from Latin captāre to pursue eagerly, from capere to take; see catch
chase2
- 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
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- Also: chamfer to cut a groove, furrow, or flute in (a surface, column, etc)
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Word Origin
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
chase3
- Also: enchase to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing
- to form or finish (a screw thread) with a chaser
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Word Origin
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
v.
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.
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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.
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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)).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.