chase

UK: /ˈtʃeɪs/ US: /tʃeɪs/ ,(chās)

Inflections of 'chase' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

chases

v 3rd person singular

chasing

v pres p

chased

v past

chased

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

chase¹ /tʃeɪs/   v., chased, chas•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to follow rapidly or intently in order to overtake, etc.;
   pursue: [~ + object]
   The police chased the thief down the street.
   [~ + after + object]
   They chased after the thief.
2. to follow or devote one's attention to with the hope of attracting, etc.: [~ + object]
   He's been chasing that job for years.
   [~ + after + object]
   He's been chasing after my job.
3. [~ + object] to drive or send out by force:
   The dog chased the cat out of the room.
4. [no object* often: ~ + around (+ verb-ing)] to rush;
   hasten:
   She was chasing around all afternoon looking for a gift.

n. [countable]

5. the act of chasing;
   pursuit:
   I gave up the chase and went home.

Idioms

6. Idioms give chase, to go in pursuit:
   In a few minutes other police patrols gave chase.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

chase¹  (chās), v., chased, chas•ing, n. 
v.t. 

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.

v.i. 

5. to follow in pursuit:
   to chase after someone.
6. to rush or hasten:
   We spent the weekend chasing around from one store to another.

n. 

7. the act of chasing;
   pursuit:
   The chase lasted a day.
8. an object of pursuit;
   something chased.
9. British Terms [Chiefly Brit.] a private game preserve;
   a tract of privately owned land reserved for, and sometimes stocked with, animals and birds to be hunted.
10. British Terms the right of keeping game or of hunting on the land of others.
11. a steeplechase.
12. Idioms cut to the chase, [Informal.] to get to the main point.
13. give chase, to pursue:
    The hunt began and the dogs gave chase.
14. the chase, the sport or occupation of hunting.

• Vulgar Latin *captiāre; see catch
• Middle French chasser to hunt, Old French chacier
• Middle English chacen 1250–1300

chase′a•ble, adj. 
Synonyms

• 4. oust, rout, scatter.
• 7. hunt, quest.

chase²  (chās), n. 

1. Printing a rectangular iron frame in which composed type is secured or locked for printing or platemaking.
2. Building 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. [Ordn.]
   • the part of a gun in front of the trunnions.
   • the part containing the bore.

• Late Latin capsus (masculine), capsum (neuter) fully or partly enclosed space, variant of capsa case²
• Middle French chas, chasse
• 1570–80

chase³  (chās), v.t., chased, chas•ing. 

1. to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing.
2. to cut (a screw thread), as with a chaser or machine tool.

• 1400–50; late Middle English chased (past participle); aphetic variant of enchase

Chase  (chās), n. 

1. Biographical Mary Ellen, 1887–1973, U.S. educator, novelist, and essayist.
Sal•mon Portland  (sal′mən), 1808–73, U.S. jurist and statesman: secretary of the Treasury 1861–64;
Chief Justice of the U.S. 1864–73.
2. Biographical Samuel, 1741–1811, U.S. jurist and leader in the American Revolution: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1796–1811.
3. Biographical Stuart, 1888–1985, U.S. economist and writer.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chase / tʃeɪs/ verb

1. to follow or run after (a person, animal, or goal) persistently or quickly
2. (tr; often followed by out, away, or off) to force to run (away); drive (out)
3. (transitive) to court (a potential romantic or sexual partner) in an unsubtle manner
4. (transitive) often followed by up: to pursue persistently and energetically in order to obtain results, information, etc
5. (intransitive) to hurry; rush

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 chase ⇒ the act or sport of hunting
6. short for steeplechase
7. give chase ⇒ to pursue (a person, animal, or thing) actively

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin captiāre (unattested), from Latin captāre to pursue eagerly, from capere to take; see catch

chase / tʃeɪs/ noun

1. 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

verb (transitive)

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

Etymology: 17th Century (in the sense: frame for letterpress matter): probably from French châsse frame (in the sense: bore of a cannon, etc): from Old French chas enclosure, from Late Latin capsus pen for animals; both from Latin capsa case²

chase / tʃeɪs/ verb (transitive)

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

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French enchasser enchase