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 seeking

The detectives are still at it, seeking to account for a period of time when Brinsley may well have paused to sit somewhere.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most other social justice movements are seeking some shift of power and money.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The child almost died from the delay of an hour in seeking help.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Seeking to be celebrated for simply hiring a woman is tokenizing and offensive.
Wonder Woman Takes a Big Step Back|Hugh Ryan|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Who can blame musicians for seeking a larger crossover audience?
The Best Albums of 2014|Ted Gioia|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suppose now she stood before him, wonder-eyes raised, seeking his soul's truth; hands resting in his until he should speak.
Joyce of the North Woods|Harriet T. Comstock
"Dirt don't stick to you, Mr. Oldfield," once said a seeking widow.
Tiverton Tales|Alice Brown
On seeking re-election in York, he declined to give any pledge on the burning question of the Clergy Reserves and was defeated.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
Whether he was seeking a wife or a kingdom, he would have his will, but he could wait for it.
William the Conqueror|Edward Augustus Freeman
With the first coming of light they started on—seeking the gray spider and the gray wolf.
The Way of an Indian|Frederic Remington

British Dictionary definitions for seeking

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 seeking

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 seeking

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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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of seek

Examples from the Web for seeking

seek

verb seeks, seeking or sought (mainly tr)

Word Origin for seek

seek

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