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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

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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

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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

It gives off a very particular aura, and it’s that aura that I chase after.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

No wonder Iran thinks it can chase the U.S. out of Britain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

The "Batpod" was featured in a chase scene that included Christian Bale's Batman and Heath Ledger's Joker and it also appeared in the 2012 sequel The Dark Knight Rises.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

It must also be measured by what happens to those who never chase the tune.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

When two more Luftwaffe aircraft began to chase them, Aleksandr escaped into clouds while the two enemy fighter planes collided in flames.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei makes the case for taking part in the company’s initial public offering in a chat with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026

"We're very paranoid" about AI safety, Amodei told JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon at an event hosted by the bank, one of the offering's lead underwriters.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026

There was a great music video with Chase Infiniti.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

Rhode Island Sen. William Sprague—the son-in-law of Salmon P. Chase, then secretary of the Treasury—was implicated in a cotton-running scandal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

When my father got struck by lightning, so did I, Chase thought.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

“She’s a once-in-a-generation candidate from a state that is disproportionately Latino that has been the unicorn that Democrats have chased for decades,” Valencia said.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

They chased 331 for a four-wicket win in an epic Test against the Proteas in 2002, when Ricky Ponting hit a brilliant 100 not out.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The company at the time faced criticism that the problems stemmed from a culture that chased quick payoffs while short-changing safety.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Quarterback Ryan Rakowski of Palos Verdes High was rolling right while being chased.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

A hundred rats had chased him farther into the landfill, to where human machines screamed and scraped in the trash heaps.

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

"Physicists have been chasing this decay for more than forty years," said Marco Santimaria, who co-led the international analysis team of 19 scientists.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2026

I agree with your husband that taking on consulting work as a condition of his retirement is a lot of work, chasing prospective clients and answering to them.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

Notre Dame was chasing its biggest win in years on Saturday night when quarterback CJ Carr faced a do-or-die fourth down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

Shohei Ohtani being dead set on chasing the Cy Young Award killed the Dodgers’ chances at a three-peat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

I stop in the doorway when I realize she has no intention of chasing me down.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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Related Words

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

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