seek

[ seek ]

/ sik /

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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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR seek

3. pursue, follow.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR seek ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Finally, we might seek for the characteristic anecdotes of Csar in his unexampled liberalities and contempt of money.
The Caesars|Thomas de Quincey
After the obsequies they seek the young Apis, they seek him throughout sacred Egypt.
The Tour|Louis Couperus
Singularly, the men who most despise women are the ones who seek to have her applause.
The Lincoln Story Book|Henry L. Williams
We seek for the origin of the savage factor of myth in one aspect of the intellectual condition of savages.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang
The Prophet has said: "Seek him who flees from thee; forgive him who injures thee; give to him who does not give to thee."
Letters from a Sf Teacher|Shaikh Sharfuddn Maner

British Dictionary definitions for seek

seek

/ (siːk) /

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

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.

seek

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

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

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Idioms

Origin of seek

Examples from the Web for seek

seek

verb seeks, seeking or sought (mainly tr)

Word Origin for seek

seek

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