Dictionary.com

pursue

[ per-soo ]
/ pərˈsu /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: pursue / pursued / pursuing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.
verb (used without object), pur·sued, pur·su·ing.
to chase after someone or something; to follow in pursuit: They spotted the suspect but decided not to pursue.
to continue.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of pursue

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pursuen, from Anglo-French pursuer, ultimately from Latin prōsequī “to pursue, follow, continue”; see pro-1, sue, prosecute

historical usage of pursue

The current spelling of the English verb pursue dates from about 1300. It is one of several former spellings, including perseve, pursiew, pursuwe. The Middle English variants come from Anglo-French and Old French porsure, poursuire, porsivre (with many other spelling variants), ultimately from Latin prōsequi “to attend (with honors or compliments), go in pursuit of, follow with hostile intent, harry, examine or follow up (a subject or topic), continue,” which is the source of English prosecute
The many Latin meanings of prōsequi carry over into Old French and Middle English, and by the end of the Middle English period, the word pursue already had all of its current meanings. On the other hand, the word prosecute originally meant “to follow up, pursue, continue,” but shortly afterward, in the early 16th century, it took on its primary current meaning “to institute legal proceedings.”

OTHER WORDS FROM pursue

pur·su·a·ble, adjectiveout·pur·sue, verb (used with object), out·pur·sued, out·pur·su·ing.re·pur·sue, verb (used with object), re·pur·sued, re·pur·su·ing.un·pur·su·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pursue

peruse, pursue
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pursue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pursue

pursue
/ (pəˈsjuː) /

verb -sues, -suing or -sued (mainly tr)

Derived forms of pursue

pursuer, noun

Word Origin for pursue

C13: from Anglo-Norman pursiwer, from Old French poursivre, from Latin prōsequī to follow after
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
FEEDBACK