pursuit

American  

[per-soot] / pərˈsut /

noun

• pursuits
  plural

1. 

   the act of pursuing.

   in pursuit of the fox.

   Synonyms:

   hunt, chase

2. an effort to secure or attain; quest.

   the pursuit of happiness.

   Synonyms:

   search

3. any occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily.

   literary pursuits.

   Synonyms:

   inclination, preoccupation, activity

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pursuit British  

/ pəˈsjuːt /

noun

1. 1. the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pursuit plane

2. an occupation, hobby, or pastime

3. (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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pursuits
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pursuit

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French purseute, from Vulgar Latin prōsequita (unrecorded), from Latin prōsecūta, feminine of prōsecūtus “followed,” past participle of prōsequī “to follow, continue”; see pursue

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Explanation

A pursuit is a chase or a quest for something. When a guard runs after an escaping jewel thief, she's in pursuit — while the thief may have stolen the jewels because he was in pursuit of wealth. Whether it's a police officer in a car chase or a student working towards a college degree at a university in the tropics, both can be considered in “hot pursuit.”  Derived from the Anglo-French purseute, pursuit means the act of pursuing or striving towards goals. In the late 14th century it implied persecution, but things have changed since then.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pursuit pursuits

Formula 1 is an expensive pursuit and far wealthier nations have already seen their ambitions backfire.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

In 2017, “The Hills” alum and her now-ex-husband, former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, left the Windy City in pursuit of a “great place” to raise their family.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Great Britain secured gold medals in the women's team pursuit final and the men's scratch race on day two of the World Track Cycling Championships.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Now, the Gen Z-run company is investing in its marketing operations to bring greater rigor to its pursuit of customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

They would have gone after the lions right then, but night had begun to fall and they had to suspend their pursuit.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau

AI is surpassing human abilities in pursuits from mathematics to computer programming, while threatening to alter or even eradicate many jobs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

And though Cassie’s extracurricular pursuits echo that cultural reckoning, some distance reveals that “Promising Young Woman” is less about justice than protection.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

Marafatsos, who has a young family in Virginia, told a Greek newspaper that he met Guilfoyle in the early days of Trump’s political pursuits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

LA local news stations regularly break into live programming to broadcast high-speed police pursuits from the air, fly over wildfires and show accidents, protests, and holiday traffic jams in often unscripted, real-time aerials.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Unlike a regular career where a person earned money, I had to spend money to support my fencing pursuits.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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Related Words

• accomplishment
• activity
• career
• occupation
• undertaking

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