chase

[ cheys ]

/ tʃeɪs /

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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: the excitement of the chase.

Verb Phrases

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

OTHER WORDS FOR chase

4 oust, rout, scatter.

7 hunt, quest.

See synonyms for chase on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about chase

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

Origin of chase

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

OTHER WORDS FROM chase

chase·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chase

chased , chaste

Words nearby chase

charvet, charwoman, chary, Charybdis, Chas., chase, chase mortise, chaser, Chasid, chasing, Chasles

Other definitions for chase (2 of 4)

chase²

[ cheys ]

/ tʃeɪs /

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

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 case²

Other definitions for chase (3 of 4)

chase³

[ cheys ]

/ tʃeɪs /

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

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

Other definitions for chase (4 of 4)

Chase

[ cheys ]

/ tʃeɪs /

noun

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

Sal·mon Portland

[sal-muhn], /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. 2023

How to use chase in a sentence

With a dog, use a sit and stay command and then step away to see if they can resist chasing you down.
How to help your pet with separation anxiety|Sara Kiley Watson|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
Tatís has cut down on swings against low-and-away breaking balls, a common chase area for batters, as seen by comparing a heat map from last season with this season.
Fernando Tatís Jr. Was Already Mashing. Then He Started Hitting The Ball Harder.|Travis Sawchik|August 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
That, he worries, could lead to the repeat of a scenario India faced between 2009 and 2013, when there was “too much money chasing too few goods.”
Could the Recession Revive the Savings Gene in China and India?|Pallabi Munsi|August 16, 2020|Ozy
Traditionally, long-distance migration is common for the animals, which surprisingly are not keen on chasing prey over extended distances.
Leopards Are Indeed Changing Their Spots|Eromo Egbejule|August 14, 2020|Ozy

They even had a habit of chasing after guys who visited the woods in order to get their sexual fill.
What Is The Origin Of The Term “Nymphomaniac”|Candice Bradley|August 3, 2020|Everything After Z
One of the other cops fired three times and those who were still able to give chase did.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cops gave chase and the gunman fired the big revolver twice more.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The bailout crybabies of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and all the rest are easy targets—and deserving ones, too.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
For a moment Joe stood behind her, silently, looking over her shoulder at the signature of Isom Chase.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Between each group of figures the face of the rock was scored with mysterious signs and rudely limned weapons of war and chase.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
On land and in sea the animal creation chase and maim, and slay and devour each other.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Could he have a sorrow which she might chase away, and, having the power, lack the heart to do it?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Thereupon there was a rush forwards; but the chase lasted not only 'a moment,' but a whole hot day.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for chase (1 of 3)

chase¹

/ (tʃeɪs) /

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 forms of chase

chaseable, 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

British Dictionary definitions for chase (2 of 3)

chase²

/ (tʃeɪs) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for chase (3 of 3)

chase³

/ (tʃeɪs) /

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

Other 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.

chase

OTHER WORDS FOR chase

Idioms about chase

Origin of chase

OTHER WORDS FROM chase

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chase

Words nearby chase

Other definitions for chase (2 of 4)

Origin of chase

Other definitions for chase (3 of 4)

Origin of chase

Other definitions for chase (4 of 4)

Words related to chase

How to use chase in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chase (1 of 3)

Derived forms of chase

Word Origin for chase

British Dictionary definitions for chase (2 of 3)

Word Origin for chase

British Dictionary definitions for chase (3 of 3)

Word Origin for chase

Other Idioms and Phrases with chase