chase

1
[ cheys ]
See synonyms for chase on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),chased, chas·ing.

  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.

  1. 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.

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

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

  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.

  2. an object of pursuit; something chased.

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

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

  3. a steeplechase.

  4. the chase, the sport or occupation of hunting: the excitement of the chase.

Verb Phrases

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

Idioms about chase

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

Origin of chase

1
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 for chase

Other words from chase

  • chase·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with chase

Words Nearby chase

Other definitions for chase (2 of 4)

chase2
[ cheys ]
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.

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

  2. Ordnance.

    • the part of a gun in front of the trunnions.

    • the part containing the bore.

Origin of chase

2
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 ]
verb (used with object),chased, chas·ing.

  1. to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.

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

Origin of chase

3
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English chased (past participle); shortened variant of enchase

Other definitions for Chase (4 of 4)

Chase
[ cheys ]
noun

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

  2. 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.

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

  2. 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

British Dictionary definitions for chase (1 of 3)

chase1

/ (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)

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

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

  3. (intr) informal to hurry; rush

noun

  1. the act of chasing; pursuit

  2. any quarry that is pursued

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

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

  3. the chase the act or sport of hunting

  4. short for steeplechase

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

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

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

Origin of chase

1
C13: from Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin captiāre (unattested), from Latin captāre to pursue eagerly, from capere to take; see catch

Derived forms of chase

  • chaseable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for chase (2 of 3)

chase2

/ (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

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

verb(tr)

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

Origin of chase

2
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)

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

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

Origin of chase

3
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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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