seek
Americanverb (used with object)
-
seeks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sought,
past participle, past
-
seeking
present participle
-
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)
-
seeks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sought,
past participle, past
-
seeking
present participle
idioms
verb
-
to try to find by searching; look for
to seek a solution
-
(also intr) to try to obtain or acquire
to seek happiness
-
to attempt (to do something); try
I'm only seeking to help
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(also intr) to enquire about or request (something)
to seek help
-
to go or resort to
to seek the garden for peace
-
an archaic word for explore
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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seeksimple
-
seekssimple
-
have soughtperfect
-
has soughtperfect
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am seekingprogressive
-
are seekingprogressive
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is seekingprogressive
-
have been seekingperfect progressive
-
has been seekingperfect progressive
Past
-
soughtsimple
-
had soughtperfect
-
was seekingprogressive
-
were seekingprogressive
-
had been seekingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of seek
First recorded 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
Explanation
If you seek an accordion player for your new polka band, it means you are looking for a band mate. When you seek something, you try to find it. It's possible to seek fame, or snacks, or a college degree, or approval — as long as you're looking for it, or longing for it, you're seeking it. The origins of the word seek go back to the Latin word sagire, which means "to perceive keenly by scent." Imagine a dog tracking a rabbit, sniffing the ground and following its scent, and you'll know exactly what it means to seek something.
Vocabulary lists containing seek
"Earthquake"
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Word Generation Social Studies - Experiences of Two Children in Warn-torn Sudan
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"Brother Ray" and "Power of the Powerless"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The senior IMF official added that "many" low-income countries were in debt distress, or close to it, and that they should seek debt restructuring if they were not able to address the issue.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
I feel I share John’s shyness, except I have sought to be on television, and he doesn’t even seek to go into an office every day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Before the decision, the CJP had met Delhi Police officials to seek permission for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar and had warned that it would announce further demonstrations if it received no response.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Uncertainty over payouts is also pushing employees at larger firms to seek opportunities elsewhere, including at places where they feel they might have more prospects to advance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Again and again he declared, “We seek no wider war.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The measure seeks to give homeowners some relief at a time when the ongoing costs of homeownership have been on the rise.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Rosé will perform at the gala, a fundraiser that seeks to draw the previously more siloed visual art and movie worlds in Los Angeles closer together.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Medicine seeks to preserve life; execution ends it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The Miami meeting follows visits to Moscow and Kyiv last month by Witkoff, a longtime Trump confidant, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, as Washington seeks to revive negotiations that have yielded little progress.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
We use the word ‘Epicurean’ to mean someone who seeks physical pleasure but, in the Renaissance, Epicureans were materialists and atheists and consequently unable to acknowledge any good other than physical pleasure.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
A meeting to choose a new agency to guide L.A.’s homeless services broke down when more than 1,500 people sought to vote on the matter online.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Greece's conservative government on Wednesday sought to distance itself from the shock ouster of US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, with a senior official insisting relations with Washington are unaffected.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Venu Srinivasan, vice-chairman of Tata Trusts and a nominee director on Tata Sons' board, has sought a probe into alleged governance lapses at some trusts.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
When Wolfe Herd founded Bumble, she sought to turn the traditional dating dynamic on its head by creating a platform on which women initiate conversations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Once a human being is dead there are people enough to provide the last decencies; perhaps it is so because only then can there be no question of further or recurring assistance being sought.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
India’s Jio Platforms is seeking to raise more than $3 billion in an initial public offering valuing the telecom company at as much as $108 billion, in what could be the country’s largest-ever listing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
For now, the findings highlight the importance of recognizing sudden vision changes and seeking prompt medical evaluation, particularly among people who may already be at greater risk.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Twice in less than a year, British energy giant Shell has been the target of a new type of lawsuit seeking to make polluters pay part of the cost of specific extreme weather events.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Their presentations revealed a patchwork of efforts, with municipalities and organizations moving ahead while seeking clearer coordination and financial commitments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
We were sitting around the supper table after curfew one night, three ten Booms, the seven “permanent guests,” and two Jews for whom we were seeking homes, when the shop doorbell chimed.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
