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 seeking

searching, probing, hunting, pursuing, appealing, exploring, appetent

Examples from the Web for seeking

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
Who can blame musicians for seeking a larger crossover audience?
The Best Albums of 2014
Ted Gioia
December 13, 2014

Historical Examples of seeking

We shall be going West like the old '49-ers, seeking adventure and gold.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
He was seeking his opportunity to punish him for the rash utterance.
The Raid From Beausejour; And How The Carter Boys Lifted The Mortgage
Charles G. D. Roberts
Back and back gave Tranter, ever seeking time for a last cut.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
"It clears Alan," he said, seeking furtively for a look into the drooping face.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
Still, I had nothing; not even the means of seeking a livelihood.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for seeking

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 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.