pursuit
[per-soot]
- the act of pursuing: in pursuit of the fox.
- an effort to secure or attain; quest: the pursuit of happiness.
- any occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily: literary pursuits.
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Origin of pursuit
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
hunt, quest, inquiry, career, undertaking, accomplishment, occupation, activity, hunting, seeking, trail, stalk, following, trailing, tracking, pursual, pursuance, do, business, workExamples from the Web for pursuit
Contemporary Examples
Yet, in pursuit of that ‘great revival of art,’ his anxiety, depression, and overall health began to deteriorate.
They say The Guardian has been dragging its feet on the pursuit of NSA-related stories while keeping the Times on a short leash.
Making sense of her life on the page, deploying raw emotion alongside humor and wry mischief, has long been a Bechdel pursuit.
Better than anyone though, Murdoch saw and exploited the emotional needs satisfied by the pursuit of celebrity.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror MachineClive Irving
August 25, 2014
I shirked duty in pursuit of a good sleep, incurring her wrath this morning.
Historical Examples
"I am satisfied with the pursuit of wisdom, not with the fame of it," replied the sage.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
They had rode about 100 miles, in the pursuit and return, and all in 30 hours.
The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and CaliforniaBrevet Col. J.C. Fremont
It is amusing to read Tarleton's pompous account of this pursuit.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis MarionWilliam Dobein James
Gen. Marion had rallied a troop there, and checked the pursuit.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis MarionWilliam Dobein James
She arrived yesterday in pursuit of her husband, but perhaps you know this already from himself.
Lady SusanJane Austen
pursuit
- the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after
- (as modifier)a pursuit plane
- an occupation, hobby, or pastime
- (in cycling) a race in which the riders set off at intervals along the track and attempt to overtake each other
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French poursieute, from poursivre to prosecute, pursue
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
Word Origin and History for pursuit
n.
late 14c., "persecution," also "action of pursuit," from Anglo-French purseute, from Old French porsuite "a search, pursuit" (14c., Modern French poursuite), from porsivre (see pursue). Sense of "one's profession, recreation, etc." first recorded 1520s. As a type of track cycling race from 1938.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper