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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  

[chays] / 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  

[chays] / 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  

[chays] / 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  

[chays] / 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

While top-tier supercars chase extreme aerodynamics, the Ferrari Amalfi offers a more accessible mix of stealth luxury and twin-turbo performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Hence the film’s clunky equivalence of Hansen’s dogged chase to that of the American army.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Proof of concept for the three-peat chase around the corner?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The 21-year-old New Yorker adds that he will chase someone once but "two requests is insane".

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“Or I will chase you down and we will both be stuck in a random realm.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

JPMorgan Chase Co-President Doug Petno said the bank is projecting its markets revenue to grow in the “mid- to high-teens” compared with the year-ago quarter, calling it “a very strong quarter.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

In addition, Brad Housewright and Chase Burrow were each fined $250 and placed on the same probation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

For a two-night work trip to Miami in October, I double dipped on two Chase hotel benefits and will get more perks when I check in to the Kimpton hotel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Instead, people are encouraged to enjoy fungi where they are found, whether in Birmingham city parks, the woodlands of Cannock Chase, Sutton Park or the Wyre Forest.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Tomás smiled too, but Chase doubted he had gotten the pun.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

It marked the start of a reckoning for the British tabloid media, which was blamed for hounding her after the car in which she was a passenger was chased by paparazzi before crashing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

"I've never chased anyone - I'm just sad if I don't get paid back."

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Could the left groin tightness that chased Blake Snell from his last start after an inning linger into the postseason?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Yoane Wissa: Created Newcastle's best chance and at least battled and chased, even if his final ball was not always great.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Janie’s sister chased them through the Employees Only door, but she couldn’t find them anywhere. They’re missing!”

From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Vollering launched her initial attack with about 40km to go only to be reeled in by the chasing pack over the final two laps.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The image is at once hokey and compelling, suggesting in unwieldy terms that the monster Hansen has been chasing is like a Hydra: cut off its head, and it’ll regenerate with two more.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

But it laid bare the issue the Chinese leader cares about most—and the prize he really came to Washington chasing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“There is no money to sustain chasing these people,” said Scatturo, the analyst.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Dismay had exhausted himself chasing rabbits and chewing up sticks.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Related Words

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