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.
to follow in pursuit.
to chase after someone.
to rush or hasten.
We spent the weekend chasing around from one store to another.
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.
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.
to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.
to cut (a screw thread), as with a chaser or machine tool.
Mary Ellen, 1887–1973, U.S. educator, novelist, and essayist.
Salmon Portland 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.
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)
informal (tr) to court (a member of the opposite sex) in an unsubtle manner
informal to pursue persistently and energetically in order to obtain results, information, etc
chase up the builders and get a delivery date
informal (intr) to hurry; rush
the act of chasing; pursuit
any quarry that is pursued
an unenclosed area of land where wild animals are preserved to be hunted
the right to hunt a particular quarry over the land of others
the act or sport of hunting
short for steeplechase
real tennis a ball that bounces twice, requiring the point to be played again
informal to start talking about the important aspects of something
to pursue (a person, animal, or thing) actively
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
Also: enchase. to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing
to form or finish (a screw thread) with a chaser
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
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
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English chased (past participle); shortened variant of enchase
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.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Police briefly engaged in a high-speed car chase before ending it over safety concerns.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
James will team up with Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to chase his fifth championship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
And he stayed disciplined as Nola tried to get him to chase a fastball up and two breaking balls in the dirt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Every hitter wants to swing for the fences, but not every pitch is one to chase.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“If these old eyes serve me correctly, it seems like you were preparing to jump into a river to chase after that aboatia.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Crespi returns a number of players who were standouts as sophomores, led by quarterback Chase Curren.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Last week, shares of Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase gained, while most of the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index’s large regional banks declined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"When I came on captain Roston Chase just said 'continue to be disciplined in what you are doing' and to see if I can get some wickets for the team," Greaves said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Writing in the Yale Law Journal, Cherneff reconstructed the history of In re Turner, an 1867 decision by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase that helped end the re-enslavement of Black children through involuntary “apprenticeships.”
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Make yourself at home,” Momma Rossi said to Chase.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Kerry clawed their way back and sat just two points down as they chased a late leveller, but they failed to strike before Tommy Conroy's score capped a famous win for Mayo.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
A “generational bear market” is looming for investors with little powder to take advantage of, as they have chased rising popular stocks, warns one veteran wealth manager.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
England had never chased such a total before in Tests but started well with a century stand between Zak Crawley and Alex Lees.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
For more than two decades, Paige Gordon chased a feeling of fullness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
She could hear the bukavac’s steps behind her, the scuttling rapid-fire of six feet punching the ground as it chased her.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
And those legendary quarterbacks were still chasing their sport’s greatest prizes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Antonelli and Hamilton started chasing back towards Verstappen, but they were delayed while lapping Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Glad his decision was strictly based on happiness, like Rich Paul assured us, not ring chasing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
A model chasing "freedom" is almost predictable at this point, he added -- it lets the system pursue its goals more effectively, "and that's very scary."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“I'm worried,” Ella admitted, swishing her fingers in the liquid, chasing the conjure-rose petals as Mama sprinkled in the bloodroot.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
