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• chase
  chase

  verb (used with object)

  to pursue in order to seize, overtake, etc..
• Chase
  Chase

  noun

  Mary Ellen, 1887–1973, U.S. educator, novelist, and essayist.

chase

¹ American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

verb (used with object)

chased, chasing

1. to pursue in order to seize, overtake, etc..

   The police officer chased the thief.

2. to pursue with intent to capture or kill, as game; hunt.

   to chase deer.

3. to follow or devote one's attention to with the hope of attracting, winning, gaining, etc..

   He chased her for three years before she consented to marry him.

4. to drive or expel by force, threat, or harassment.

   She chased the cat out of the room.

   Synonyms:

   scatter, rout, oust

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verb (used without object)

chased, chasing

1. to follow in pursuit.

   to chase after someone.

2. to rush or hasten.

   We spent the weekend chasing around from one store to another.

noun

1. the act of chasing; pursuit.

   The chase lasted a day.

   Synonyms:

   quest, hunt

2. an object of pursuit; something chased.

3. Chiefly British. a private game preserve; a tract of privately owned land reserved for, and sometimes stocked with, animals and birds to be hunted.

4. British. the right of keeping game or of hunting on the land of others.

5. a steeplechase.

6. the chase, the sport or occupation of hunting.

   the excitement of the chase.

verb phrase

1. give chase to pursue.

   The hunt began and the dogs gave chase.

idioms

1. cut to the chase, to get to the main point.

chase ² American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

noun

1. a rectangular iron frame in which composed type is secured or locked for printing or platemaking.

2. Building Trades. a space or groove in a masonry wall or through a floor for pipes or ducts.

3. a groove, furrow, or trench; a lengthened hollow.

4. Ordnance.

   1. the part of a gun in front of the trunnions.

   2. the part containing the bore.

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chase ³ American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

verb (used with object)

chased, chasing

1. to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.

2. to cut (a screw thread), as with a chaser or machine tool.

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Chase ⁴ American  

[cheys] / tʃeɪs /

noun

1. Mary Ellen, 1887–1973, U.S. educator, novelist, and essayist.

2. Salmon Portland 1808–73, U.S. jurist and statesman: secretary of the treasury 1861–64; chief justice of the U.S. 1864–73.

3. Samuel, 1741–1811, U.S. jurist and leader in the American Revolution: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1796–1811.

4. Stuart, 1888–1985, U.S. economist and writer.

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chase ¹ British  

/ tʃeɪs /

verb

1. to follow or run after (a person, animal, or goal) persistently or quickly

2. (tr; often foll by out, away, or off) to force to run (away); drive (out)

3. informal (tr) to court (a member of the opposite sex) in an unsubtle manner

4. informal to pursue persistently and energetically in order to obtain results, information, etc

   chase up the builders and get a delivery date

5. informal (intr) to hurry; rush

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noun

1. the act of chasing; pursuit

2. any quarry that is pursued

3. an unenclosed area of land where wild animals are preserved to be hunted

4. the right to hunt a particular quarry over the land of others

5. the act or sport of hunting

6. short for steeplechase

7. real tennis a ball that bounces twice, requiring the point to be played again

8. informal to start talking about the important aspects of something

9. to pursue (a person, animal, or thing) actively

chase ² British  

/ tʃeɪs /

noun

1. printing a rectangular steel or cast-iron frame into which metal type and blocks making up pages are locked for printing or plate-making

2. the part of a gun barrel from the front of the trunnions to the muzzle

3. a groove or channel, esp one that is cut in a wall to take a pipe, cable, etc

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verb

1. Also: chamfer.  to cut a groove, furrow, or flute in (a surface, column, etc)

chase ³ British  

/ tʃeɪs /

verb

1. Also: enchase.  to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing

2. to form or finish (a screw thread) with a chaser

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chase More Idioms  

1. see ambulance chaser; cut to the chase; give chase; go fly a kite (chase yourself); lead a merry chase; run (chase) after; wild goose chase.

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Other Word Forms

• chaseable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of chase¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chacen, chacien, from Middle French chasser “to hunt,” Old French chacier, from unattested Vulgar Latin captiāre; see catch

Origin of chase²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French chas, chasse, from Late Latin capsus (masculine), capsum (neuter) “fully or partly enclosed space,” variant of capsa case ²

Origin of chase³

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English chased (past participle); shortened variant of enchase

Explanation

To chase is to follow or go after someone or something you want. This activity is called a chase. Dogs chase cats, cats chase mice, and mice are in big trouble. The word chase tried to run away from the Old French word chacier for "to hunt or strive for,” but we caught it. Any time you’re trying to get something that’s trying to get away from you, you chase it. Police officers chase criminals, and kids playing tag chase each other all over the yard. You can also chase things that aren't physical, like a dream or a goal. This activity itself is called a chase.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chase Chase chased chasing

But it is also crowded: more than 500 drone companies now chase the same military orders, and some executives expect many to be bought up or squeezed out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Authorities said Garcia drove into the city of Elk Grove and led police on a chase before crashing into another vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Waugh said the chase had been a highlight of his directing career.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Although their proportions resembled those of modern cheetahs, growing evidence suggests these cats were much more versatile hunters, able to chase prey on land while also using powerful forelimbs to grab and hold it.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

To chase them away, he stood up and began to pace.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

JPMorgan Chase appointed Nelle Miller and William Sinclair as co-chief executives of its U.S. private bank.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon last year lambasted the rule for effectively muzzling him and others in his industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

When Oscars host Chevy Chase opened the 1988 ceremony with the rather soft quip, “Good evening, Hollywood phonies,” the disdain from the audience was palpable, and he was never asked to host the show again.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

The superintendent of the Cannock Chase Methodist Church Circuit, Rev Samantha Hagerman, said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with family, friends and emergency services affected by the incident near Cheslyn Hay yesterday."

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Chase could not remember how many times his father had said these exact words to him.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

In 2020, Dollar General chased higher-income suburbanites by launching Popshelf, a brand selling discretionary items like party supplies and cosmetics under $5.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Locals, for whom it is traditional to touch dead relatives to usher them into the afterlife, have chased off health teams sent to enforce no-contact funeral rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sosa-Celis was shot on Jan. 14, as Castro and another ICE agent chased Alfredo Aljorna, an immigrant from Venezuela, after a traffic stop.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

Mykhailo Mudryk's name has been doing the rounds in recent weeks and Brentford have history there, having chased him prior to his move to Chelsea.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

While the bees chased the monkeys into nearby treetops, I was forced to jump down, run, and dive into the lake.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Both Mixue and Dollar General learned that chasing upper-crust customers was a dangerous and often doomed temptation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Now, Conor lands on the Las Vegas Strip chasing the exact same milestone.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Ultimately, it is about chasing a feeling of what he knows to be true, and what he wants others to also recognize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The big fear, according to McElligott, is that a glut of investment-grade debt being issued by companies chasing the AI boom could help to crowd out demand for Treasurys.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

It was like it was chasing me, wanting to hold me down, to keep what I now see from being exposed.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• drive
• drive away
• expel
• follow
• go after
• hound
• hunt
• run down
• rush
• tear
• track
• trail