Showing results for "pursuing"

• present participle of pursue.

pursuing

American  

[per-soo-ing] / pərˈsu ɪŋ /

adjective

1. following someone or something in order to overtake, capture, woo, etc..

   Informed via radio that the alleged crime concerned an unpaid bill, the pursuing officers took down the vehicle's license plate information and stopped the chase.

2. continuing to accompany or affect someone, as success, bad luck, or fame.

   They renewed their love, were once more torn apart by pursuing misfortune, but in the end were happily reunited.

3. following or seeming to follow someone or something with one’s eyes, voice, thoughts, etc..

   He stared fearfully at the pursuing eyes of a portrait on the wall.

4. following or coming immediately after; ensuing.

   The program focuses on core courses in the first semester, and allows students to take their electives in the pursuing two semesters.

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Other Word Forms

• unpursuing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pursuing

pursu(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

When someone is described as pursuing, they are following or chasing another person (or thing) with the intent to catch. The pursuing player in a game of "tag" is "it," or the one doing the chasing. During a traditional English fox hunt, the barking dogs are the pursing animals, and the foxes are the ones being hunted. And during a typical cops-and-robbers chase, the pursuing officers are the ones in the police car with the siren blaring, racing after the getaway car. Pursuing and its related verb pursue come from the Latin prosequi, "follow or follow after."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pursuing

Tournaments are pursuing younger audiences accustomed to the continuous movement and noise of other professional sports, challenging traditions that have long governed how spectators behave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

In other words, when a couple already has more than $345,000 a year of lifetime pension income, is a Roth conversion still worth pursuing?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

In May, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department was pursuing a plan to issue a new $250 bill with Trump's face on it.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Barcelona have also been pursuing a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez but Atletico have been clear of their intention to not negotiate with their La Liga rivals.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

“We have turned from pursuing the phantom of political spoils,” it proclaimed, “and are settling down to development along safe lines.”

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson