pursue

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/pərˈsjuː/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/pɚˈsu/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pər so̅o̅)

Inflections of 'pursue' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
pursues
v 3rd person singular
pursuing
v pres p
pursued
v past
pursued
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
pur•sue /pɚˈsu/USA pronunciation   v. [+ object], -sued, -su•ing. 
  1. to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.;
    chase:The army pursued the retreating enemy.
  2. to carry on or continue (a course of action, inquiry, etc.), esp. in order to accomplish some goal:She pursued a degree in business.
  3. to practice (an occupation or pastime):to pursue a career in law.
  4. to continue to discuss (a subject):pursued the question of his involvement.
pur•su•a•ble, adj. 
pur•su•er, n. [countable]See -seq-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
pur•sue  (pər so̅o̅),USA pronunciation v., -sued, -su•ing. 
v.t. 
  1. to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.;
    chase.
  2. to follow close upon;
    go with;
    attend:Bad luck pursued him.
  3. to strive to gain;
    seek to attain or accomplish (an end, object, purpose, etc.).
  4. to proceed in accordance with (a method, plan, etc.).
  5. to carry on or continue (a course of action, a train of thought, an inquiry, studies, etc.).
  6. to continue to annoy, afflict, or trouble.
  7. to practice (an occupation, pastime, etc.).
  8. to continue to discuss (a subject, topic, etc.).
  9. to follow:They pursued the river to its source. I felt their eyes pursuing me.
  10. to continue;
    go on with (one's course, a journey, etc.).

v.i. 
  1. to follow in pursuit.
  2. to continue.
  • Anglo-French pursuer Latin prōsequī to pursue, follow, continue. See pro-1, sue, prosecute
  • Middle English pursuen 1250–1300
pur•sua•ble, adj. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged trail, hunt.
    • 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged dog.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pursue / pəˈsjuː/ ( -sues, -suing, -sued)(mainly tr)
  1. (also intr) to follow (a fugitive, etc) in order to capture or overtake
  2. (esp of something bad or unlucky) to follow closely or accompany: ill health pursued her
  3. to seek or strive to attain (some object, desire, etc)
  4. to follow the precepts of (a plan, policy, etc)
  5. to apply oneself to (one's studies, hobbies, etc)
  6. to follow persistently or seek to become acquainted with
  7. to continue to discuss or argue (a point, subject, etc)
Etymology: 13th Century: from Anglo-Norman pursiwer, from Old French poursivre, from Latin prōsequī to follow afterpurˈsuer
'pursue' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: pursue the [criminal, suspect, robber, fugitive], the [criminal] was pursued by [police officers, police cars, helicopters], pursued [downtown, on the highway, along the street], more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "pursue" in the title:


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