pursued

American  

[per-sood] / pərˈsud /

adjective

1. followed by a person or animal wishing to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chased.

   Dogs' keen sense of smell and hunting instinct make it difficult for a pursued animal to escape.

2. being the goal or purpose that motivates a person’s striving or effort.

   Every phrase in the document has been carefully weighed to serve the pursued objective.

3. carried on or continued.

   Going from one university to another for short stays might be less beneficial than a steadily pursued course at one place.

4. practiced, as an occupation, pastime, etc..

   Whether as a hobby or as a career, music and dance have always been among the most highly pursued performing arts.

5. studied or discussed over some time.

   This publication focuses on the long pursued question of best timing for orthodontic treatment.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of pursue.

Other Word Forms

• unpursued adjective

Etymology

Origin of pursued

pursue ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Khan visited Pyongyang to help with uranium enrichment, an alternative path to a bomb that North Korea pursued covertly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Nearly half of the cases turned down for those offenses were out of the New Jersey U.S. attorney’s office, which in the past has aggressively pursued alleged union corruption.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

“I’ve had my license for a long time, and have never pursued it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Messages seen by the BBC show de Min paid the investor £1,000 in January 2026, but bankruptcy proceedings are still being pursued.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

When at last she surfaced and looked back, she’d put a good distance between herself and the shore, and saw to her relief that she wasn’t being pursued.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Related Words

• followed