seek

[seek]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR seek ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sought, seek·ing.

to go in search or quest of: to seek the truth.

to try to find or discover by searching or questioning: to seek the solution to a problem.

to try to obtain: to seek fame.

to try or attempt (usually followed by an infinitive): to seek to convince a person.

to go to: to seek a place to rest.

to ask for; request: to seek advice.

Archaic. to search or explore.

verb (used without object), sought, seek·ing.

to make inquiry.

Idioms

be sought after, to be desired or in demand: Graduates in the physical sciences are most sought after by employers these days.

Origin of seek

before 900; Middle English seken, Old English sēcan; cognate with German suchen, Old Norse sœkja, Gothic sōkjan; akin to Latin sāgīre to perceive by scent (see presage, sagacity); cf. beseech

Related formsout·seek, verb (used with object), out·sought, out·seek·ing.re·seek, verb (used with object), re·sought, re·seek·ing.un·seek·ing, adjective

Synonyms for seek

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR seek ON THESAURUS.COM

3. pursue, follow.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for seek

pursue, follow, investigate, explore, undertake, offer, request, solicit, scout, inquire, scratch, fish, hunt, prowl, root, dragnet, quest, fan, nose, delve

Examples from the Web for seek

Contemporary Examples of seek

But on Thursday Boxer triggered a Golden State political earthquake, announcing that she would not seek a fifth term in 2016.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races
David Freedlander
January 9, 2015
Parents who want to transfer custody of a child to someone other than a relative must seek permission from a judge.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking
Tina Traster
December 30, 2014
We ought to seek Chinese cooperation in a response to this North Korean act of aggression.
Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea
Shane Harris, Tim Mak
December 20, 2014
The birds will seek us out and they will use no logic we know.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
But on Monday Portman said that he would not run for president, choosing to seek reelection in Ohio.
Is Gay Marriage Going Away in 2016?
David Freedlander
December 4, 2014

Historical Examples of seek

I fly to seek a kindlier sphere, Since thou hast ceased to love me here.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Pericles went to seek his son, and found him reclining on the couch where he had left him.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
He resolved at once to seek her and give his love freedom to tell itself.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
"It may be better not to seek the interpretation," persists Eve.
The New Adam and Eve (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for seek

seek

verb seeks, seeking or sought (mainly tr)

(when intr, often foll by for or after) to try to find by searching; look forto seek a solution

(also intr) to try to obtain or acquireto seek happiness

to attempt (to do something); tryI'm only seeking to help

(also intr) to enquire about or request (something)to seek help

to go or resort toto seek the garden for peace

an archaic word for explore

Derived Formsseeker, noun

Word Origin for seek

Old English sēcan; related to Old Norse sōkja, Gothic sōkjan, Old High German suohhen, Latin sāgīre to perceive by scent; see beseech

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 seek

Old English secan "inquire, search for; pursue; long for, wish for, desire; look for, expect from," influenced by Old Norse soekja, both from Proto-Germanic *sokjan (cf. Old Saxon sokian, Old Frisian seka, Middle Dutch soekan, Old High German suohhan, German suchen, Gothic sokjan), from PIE *sag-yo-, from root *sag- "to track down, seek out" (cf. Latin sagire "to perceive quickly or keenly," sagus "presaging, predicting," Old Irish saigim "seek"). The natural modern form of the Anglo-Saxon word as uninfluenced by Norse is in beseech. Related: Sought; seeking.

Idioms and Phrases with seek

seek

see play hide and seek.