Synonyms

pursue

American

[per-soo] / pərˈsu /

verb (used with object)

to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chase.

Synonyms:

trail, track, hunt
to follow close upon; go with; attend.

Bad luck pursued him.

Synonyms:

dog
to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish (an end, object, purpose, etc.).
to proceed in accordance with (a method, plan, etc.).
to carry on or continue (a course of action, a train of thought, an inquiry, studies, etc.).
to continue to annoy, afflict, or trouble.
to practice (an occupation, pastime, etc.).
to continue to discuss (a subject, topic, etc.).
to follow.

They pursued the river to its source. I felt their eyes pursuing me.
to continue; go on with (one's course, a journey, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to chase after someone or something; to follow in pursuit.

They spotted the suspect but decided not to pursue.
to continue.

pursue British

/ pəˈsjuː /

verb

(also intr) to follow (a fugitive, etc) in order to capture or overtake
(esp of something bad or unlucky) to follow closely or accompany

ill health pursued her
to seek or strive to attain (some object, desire, etc)
to follow the precepts of (a plan, policy, etc)
to apply oneself to (one's studies, hobbies, etc)
to follow persistently or seek to become acquainted with
to continue to discuss or argue (a point, subject, etc)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

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

Explanation

Use the verb pursue when you're chasing after someone or something. A hungry lion might pursue a zebra, the paparazzi might pursue a celebrity, and a young dancer might pursue her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. Pursue originally meant "to follow with hostile intent," from a Latin root word, prosequi, "follow, accompany, follow after, or follow up." Today, when you pursue someone, it's not necessarily with bad intentions. A police officer, for example, might pursue a criminal, and your dog might pursue your cat around the house just for fun. If you pursue a career in journalism, you are working to achieve it. Likewise, you pursue a strategy or a hobby if you do it consistently.

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Vocabulary lists containing pursue

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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.

See Examples For:

pursue pursues pursued pursuing

He left the band to pursue his solo career in 1987 and rejoined years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

It remains unclear whether the department will pursue the case.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

By the age of 24 he’d dropped out of engineering school to read philosophy and pursue modeling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Videos of an exhausted Kotak running behind security personnel as protesters pursue him spread on social media.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

But at level ten, that began to change, because most gymnasts at that level were intending to pursue an elite career.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

As Talarico pursues potential crossover voters, he’ll also need to mobilize Black Texans, among whom Crockett is an influential leader.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

As a first-generation Mexican American with roots in Jalisco, Mexico, she is thrilled to join The Times’ Fast Break desk starting today, as she pursues a career in television and print journalism.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

"JNIM pursues a political-religious agenda, centred on the establishment of sharia law and the rejection of foreign forces, whilst the FLA champions a territorial and autonomist agenda, centred on Azawad," he said.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

Tesla is primed to pour more into capital spending in 2026 than it has in any other year on record as it pursues a series of high-risk, high-reward opportunities.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026

He entered on the path he had marked for himself; he pursues it still.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

A cohort of people who pursued and brought light to all genres of food stories.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

For example, they said new viruses with the potential to cause disease "should not be pursued".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

All the above occurred during decades in which Mr. Lloyd pursued his own personal practice based in Vedanta, the ancient spiritual philosophy based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

He told Trump that diplomacy could be pursued alongside greater economic pressure such as restricting Iran’s overland trade routes while negotiations continue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The eloko was running too, batting away Koffi’s fireflies as it pursued them.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Amid concerns over how officials are pursuing suspects, broader worries about wildfires are far from abating.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Olmo must decide between fulfilling his duty or pursuing his age-appropriate impulse for fun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Now, every hyperscaler is pursuing such projects, including Meta, Microsoft and Oracle.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

If you are at an early stage of your career, focusing on long-term growth, you will probably be better off not pursuing an income strategy.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

I also shared with them that my secret to success was to never let other people’s opinions about me stop me from pursuing my passions.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023