Definitions for pursue
pərˈsupur·sue

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. prosecute, engage, pursueverb

   carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in

   "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a discussion"

2. pursue, followverb

   follow in or as if in pursuit

   "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life"

3. quest for, go after, quest after, pursueverb

   go in search of or hunt for

   "pursue a hobby"

4. pursue, follow up on, act onverb

   carry further or advance

   "Can you act on this matter soon?"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. pursueverb

   To follow with harmful intent; to try to harm, to persecute, torment.

2. pursueverb

   To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.

3. pursueverb

   To follow, travel down (a particular way, course of action etc.).

   Her rival pursued a quite different course.

4. pursueverb

   To aim for, go after (a specified objective, situation etc.).

5. pursueverb

   To participate in (an activity, business etc.); to practise, follow (a profession).

6. Etymology: From pursuer, poursuire et al., porsuir, from prosequi (though influenced by persequi).

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To PURSUEverb

   Etymology: poursuivre, Fr.

   1. To chase; to follow in hostility.

   Love like a shadow flies, when substance love pursues;
   Pursuing that that flies, and flying what pursues. William Shakespeare.

   When Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, and pursued. Gen. xiv. 14.

   To thy speed add wings,
   Lest with a whip of scorpions I pursue
   Thy lingering. John Milton.

   2. To prosecute; to continue.

   As righteousness tendeth to life; so he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death. Prov. xii. 19.

   Insatiate to pursue
   Vain war with heaven. John Milton.

   I will pursue
   This ancient story, whether false or true. Dryden.

   When men pursue their thoughts of space, they stop at the confines of body, as if space were there at an end. John Locke.

   3. To imitate; to follow as an example.

   The fame of ancient matrons you pursue,
   And stand a blameless pattern to the new. Dryden.

   4. To endeavour to attain.

   Let us not then pursue
   Splendid vassalage. John Milton.

   We happiness pursue; we fly from pain;
   Yet the pursuit, and yet the flight is vain. Matthew Prior.

2. To Pursueverb

   To go on; to proceed.

   I have, pursues Carneades, wondered chymists should not consider. Boyle.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pursue

   To pursue means to actively and purposefully go after or seek something, often a goal, objective, or desired outcome. It involves engaging in actions, making efforts, and persistently driving towards the fulfillment of a particular aim or ambition. Pursuing something requires determination, focus, and a willingness to overcome obstacles or challenges in order to attain success or attain the desired result.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Pursueverb

   to follow with a view to overtake; to follow eagerly, or with haste; to chase; as, to pursue a hare

2. Pursueverb

   to seek; to use or adopt measures to obtain; as, to pursue a remedy at law

3. Pursueverb

   to proceed along, with a view to some and or object; to follow; to go in; as, Captain Cook pursued a new route; the administration pursued a wise course

4. Pursueverb

   to prosecute; to be engaged in; to continue

5. Pursueverb

   to follow as an example; to imitate

6. Pursueverb

   to follow with enmity; to persecute; to call to account

7. Pursueverb

   to go in pursuit; to follow

8. Pursueverb

   to go on; to proceed, especially in argument or discourse; to continue

9. Pursueverb

   to follow a matter judicially, as a complaining party; to act as a prosecutor

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pursue

   pur-sū′, v.t. to follow after in order to overtake: to follow with haste: to chase: to follow up: to be engaged in: to carry on: to seek to obtain: to seek to injure: to imitate: to continue.—v.i. to follow: to go on or continue: to act as a prosecutor at law.—n. (Spens.) pursuit.—adj. Pursū′able.—n. Pursū′ance, the act of pursuing or following out: process: consequence.—adj. Pursū′ant, done while pursuing or seeking any purpose, hence agreeable.—adv. agreeably: conformably—also Pursū′antly.—n. Pursū′er, one who pursues: (Scots law) a plaintiff. [O. Fr. porsuir (Fr. poursuivre)—L. prosequi, -secutus—pro, onwards, sequi, to follow.]

Matched Categories

1. • Act
   • Move

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pursue' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4672

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pursue' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4153

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pursue' in Verbs Frequency: #425

How to pronounce pursue?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pursue in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pursue in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pursue in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of pursue in a Sentence

1. Wilton Gregory:

   The choice before us at this moment is either we pursue a path of strengthening unity among ourselves or settle for creating a document that will not bring unity but may very well further damage it.

2. Marc Raimondi:

   The Justice Department continues to pursue criminal prosecutions against those that seek to circumvent U.S. sanctions involving Iran and other export controls.

3. Daisy Bates:

   No man or woman who tries to pursue an ideal in his or her won way is without enemies.

4. Robert Menendez:

   We are at a critical juncture where we still have an opportunity to be responsible and pursue diplomatic channels, the American people are not interested in getting involved in yet another endless war in the Middle East with no clear goal or strategy.

5. Kim Frum:

   The Postal Service is fully committed to the inclusion of electric vehicles as a significant part of our delivery fleet even though the investment will cost more than an internal combustion engine vehicle. The Postal Service said, as we have stated repeatedly, we must make fiscally prudent decisions in the needed introduction of a new vehicle fleet, we will continue to look for opportunities to increase the electrification of our delivery fleet in a responsible manner, consistent with our operating strategy, the deployment of appropriate infrastructure, and our financial condition, which we expect to continue to improve as we pursue our plan.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pursue
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pursue
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=pursue
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pursue
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=pursue