Definitions for pursue
pərˈsupur·sue

Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. prosecute, engage, pursue(verb)

   carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in

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

2. pursue, follow(verb)

   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, pursue(verb)

   go in search of or hunt for

   "pursue a hobby"

4. pursue, follow up on, act on(verb)

   carry further or advance

   "Can you act on this matter soon?"

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. pursue(Verb)

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

2. pursue(Verb)

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

3. pursue(Verb)

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

   Her rival pursued a quite different course.

4. pursue(Verb)

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

5. pursue(Verb)

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

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

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Pursue(verb)

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

2. Pursue(verb)

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

3. Pursue(verb)

   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. Pursue(verb)

   to prosecute; to be engaged in; to continue

5. Pursue(verb)

   to follow as an example; to imitate

6. Pursue(verb)

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

7. Pursue(verb)

   to go in pursuit; to follow

8. Pursue(verb)

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

9. Pursue(verb)

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

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pursue

   take up a cause in spite of hurdles or difficulties

   She wants to pursue higher education but her parents are pursuading her to get married.

   Submitted by anonymous on March 15, 2019

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

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. Thomas Steinkraus-Koch:

   We will now pursue this suspicion.

2. Debasish Mridha, M.D.:

   Never pursue happiness, just be happy.

3. Mario Draghi:

   Not to pursue our mandate would be illegal.

4. Naval Operations Admiral Michelle Howard:

   We do intend to pursue Lightning II. Absolutely.

5. Debasish Mridha, M.D.:

   Never pursue happiness, just create it inside you.

Images & Illustrations of pursue

Popularity rank by frequency of use