pursued; pursuing
1
: to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, or defeat
2
: to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish : seek
pursue a goal
3
: to proceed along
pursues a northern course
4
a
: to engage in
pursue a hobby
b
: to follow up or proceed with
pursue an argument
5
: to continue to afflict : haunt
was pursued by horrible memories
6
: chase entry 2 sense 1c
pursued by dozens of fans
: to go in pursuit
pursuer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of pursue in a Sentence
It is this peace among the Great Powers—at least for the near term—that makes it truly possible both to pursue my vision of the post-Cold War world and, at the same time, to hedge against failure by maintaining the capacity to protect ourselves and our interests …
—
Robert S. McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995
The monster truck pursued him at insane speeds, through phone booths and gas pumps and even over cliffs, but he never knew why.
—Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 14-28 July 1994
In a world of nation-states the assumption that governments will pursue their own interests gives order and predictability to international affairs.
—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., American Heritage, 3 May/June 1994
Hounds pursued the fox for miles.
The criminal is being pursued by police.
He chose to pursue a college degree.
She wants to pursue a legal career.
Robert S. McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995
The monster truck pursued him at insane speeds, through phone booths and gas pumps and even over cliffs, but he never knew why.
—Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 14-28 July 1994
In a world of nation-states the assumption that governments will pursue their own interests gives order and predictability to international affairs.
—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., American Heritage, 3 May/June 1994
Hounds pursued the fox for miles.
The criminal is being pursued by police.
He chose to pursue a college degree.
She wants to pursue a legal career.
Recent Examples on the Web
Refuse to let anyone pursuing you romantically to take advantage of you.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
Depending on the outcome of House races, a GOP Senate could also enable the second Trump administration to pursue policy priorities like rolling back the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and renewing corporate tax cuts.
—Li Zhou, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024
The French investigation, carried out by the PNF, a special financial crime prosecution unit famous for pursuing high-stakes white-collar probes that often involve large international companies, was opened in November 2022.
—Nancy Ing, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
The Racine County district attorney declined to pursue charges.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pursue 
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Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
Depending on the outcome of House races, a GOP Senate could also enable the second Trump administration to pursue policy priorities like rolling back the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and renewing corporate tax cuts.
—Li Zhou, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024
The French investigation, carried out by the PNF, a special financial crime prosecution unit famous for pursuing high-stakes white-collar probes that often involve large international companies, was opened in November 2022.
—Nancy Ing, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
The Racine County district attorney declined to pursue charges.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pursue
Dictionary Entries Near pursue
Cite this Entry
“Pursue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pursue. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pursue
verb
pur·sue
pər-ˈsü 
pursued; pursuing
1
: to follow in order to catch up with and seize
2
: to try to obtain or accomplish : seek
pursue pleasure
3
: to proceed along
pursue a northerly course
4
: to engage in : practice
pursue a hobby
5
: to continue to distress severely : haunt
pursued by fear
pursuer
noun
Etymology
Middle English pursuen "to follow in order to capture or kill," derived from early French pursure, pursiure (same meaning), derived from Latin prosequi "to follow after, pursue," from pro- "forward" and sequi "to follow" — related to sequel
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