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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  

[cheys] / 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  

[cheys] / 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  

[cheys] / 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  

[cheys] / 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

"Mass production started when Zildjian went to the USA whereas the ones that stayed in Istanbul were handcrafted and still are. Jazz musicians chase after that uniqueness so that's why they are very valuable."

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

The middle stretch has a concocted outdoor chase sequence that feels like a clumsy campground slasher.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Owen told the Daily Mail: "'I felt like a criminal like in a big police chase, that's how it felt. It felt like Grand Theft Auto."

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Don’t chase a SpaceX stock rally even if earnings are excellent, as a wave of shares will become available for sale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Two more monkeys dropped to the ground, and one grabbed it while the other gave chase.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Trade-deadline acquisition Kris Bubic, who is rehabbing at the Dodgers’ Arizona complex, is taking advantage of the opportunity to be around the team this weekend at Chase Field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

For San Francisco fans of Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire, the party at Chase Center ended before it even started.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

“We don’t see many signs that would get us worried about a downshift in momentum,” said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The case was led by a celebrated detective who had solved the Cannock Chase murders in Staffordshire - one of the biggest manhunts in British criminal history - Det Ch Supt Pat Molloy.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Chase had thought at the time that his father was camera shy.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Its makers priced a season’s protection at a fraction of the old drug’s cost, delivered it in a single shot, and chased a recommendation for every newborn in America rather than a lucrative few.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Another video showed a journalist being chased by a crowd in the eastern city of Patna.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Most important by far was our half-hour interview in that shiny new office, after weeks during which Burnham was chased by accusations he'd avoided tough questions.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 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

The only person who never chased her away was Baba Joseph.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

For someone in your position, a slightly lower rate at an institution with a straightforward beneficiary process, clear terms and a transparent fee structure may be worth more than chasing the highest rate in town.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

"Studies show that male investors trade more than women, chasing higher returns, but women actually get higher returns," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Competition is fierce, and many candidates spend years chasing one.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

With the S&P 500 dividend yield near generational lows, chasing income in the stock market is getting tougher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

It was like it was chasing me, wanting to hold me down, to keep what I now see from being exposed.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

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