pursuant
Americanadjective
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proceeding after; following (usually followed byto ).
Pursuant to his studies he took a job in an office.
adverb
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according (usually followed byto ).
to do something pursuant to an agreement.
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in a manner conformable (usually followed byto ).
to act pursuant to the dictates of one's conscience.
adjective
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law in agreement or conformity
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archaic pursuing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pursuant
1425–75; late Middle English, variant of pursevant pursuivant
Explanation
Pursuant is used mainly in a legal sense to say something's in accordance with a particular law, ruling, or request. It's followed by the word "to." So you might say, "Pursuant to the judge's request, we'll provide additional testimony." Pursuant sounds a bit like pursue, and has a related meaning in the sense of "following" — but in this case it's an agreement or ruling that you're following. Pursuant comes from the French word pursuer, meaning "to follow with hostile intent." Over time the word lost its sense of hostility — unless of course you're angry when the lawyer tells you that pursuant to the investment policy, you can't withdraw all your money and run away to Paris.
Vocabulary lists containing pursuant
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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Holes
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Result: whiffs of the paper-clip maximizer, an ancient AI thought experiment in which a computer ends up consuming all planetary resources pursuant to its instruction to make paper clips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The US Marshals confirmed to the BBC that the Tates had been taken into custody, while a US Department of Justice spokesperson said the arrests were "pursuant to extradition proceedings".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Commission Chair Mike Selig said the proposal would allow for scrutiny of suspicious activity “while letting legitimate markets move forward pursuant to the public interest.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
It says the government must get an order authorizing electronic surveillance through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under Title 1 or “a warrant issued pursuant to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure by a court.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Nearly all of the cases alleging racial profiling in drug-law enforcement were brought pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its implementing regulations.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
