pursue


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pursue

trail, hunt; follow close upon: pursue the escapee; continue to discuss or study: pursue the options; go on with: pursue an education
Not to be confused with:
peruse – read through thoroughly; examine in detail: peruse a map
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

pur·sue

 (pər-so͞o′)
v. pur·sued, pur·su·ing, pur·sues
v.tr.
1. To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; chase: a fox that was pursued by hounds.
2. To strive to gain or accomplish: pursue lofty political goals.
3. To proceed along the course of; follow: a ship that pursued the southern course.
4.
a. To carry further; advance: Let's not pursue this argument.
b. To take action regarding (something), especially with the intention of sustained effort: a detective who pursued each lead.
c. To engage in (a vocation or hobby, for example); practice.
5. To try to have a romantic relationship with: a lady who was pursued by many suitors.
6. To continue to torment or afflict; haunt: was pursued by the demons of lust and greed.
v.intr.
1. To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; chase.
2. To take action regarding something or carry on an established activity or project.

[Middle English purseuen, pursuen, from Anglo-Norman purseure, pursure, from Vulgar Latin *prōsequere, from Latin prōsequī; see prosecute.]

pur·su′a·ble adj.
pur·su′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pursue

(pəˈsjuː)
vb (mainly tr) , -sues, -suing or -sued
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)
[C13: from Anglo-Norman pursiwer, from Old French poursivre, from Latin prōsequī to follow after]
purˈsuer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pur•sue

(pərˈsu)

v. -sued, -su•ing. v.t.
1. to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chase.
2. to follow close upon; attend: Bad luck pursued us.
3. to strive to attain or accomplish (a goal, purpose, etc.).
4. to proceed in accordance with (a method, plan, etc.).
5. to carry on or continue (a course of action, inquiry, etc.): to pursue one's studies.
6. to continue to annoy or trouble.
7. to practice (an occupation or pastime).
8. to continue to discuss (a subject).
9. to follow: to pursue a river to its source.
v.i.
10. to follow in pursuit.
11. to continue.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French pursuer « Latin prōsequī to pursue, follow, continue. See pro-1, sue, prosecute]
pur•su′a•ble, adj.
pur•su′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pursue


Past participle: pursued
Gerund: pursuing

Imperative
pursue
pursue
Present
I pursue
you pursue
he/she/it pursues
we pursue
you pursue
they pursue
Preterite
I pursued
you pursued
he/she/it pursued
we pursued
you pursued
they pursued
Present Continuous
I am pursuing
you are pursuing
he/she/it is pursuing
we are pursuing
you are pursuing
they are pursuing
Present Perfect
I have pursued
you have pursued
he/she/it has pursued
we have pursued
you have pursued
they have pursued
Past Continuous
I was pursuing
you were pursuing
he/she/it was pursuing
we were pursuing
you were pursuing
they were pursuing
Past Perfect
I had pursued
you had pursued
he/she/it had pursued
we had pursued
you had pursued
they had pursued
Future
I will pursue
you will pursue
he/she/it will pursue
we will pursue
you will pursue
they will pursue
Future Perfect
I will have pursued
you will have pursued
he/she/it will have pursued
we will have pursued
you will have pursued
they will have pursued
Future Continuous
I will be pursuing
you will be pursuing
he/she/it will be pursuing
we will be pursuing
you will be pursuing
they will be pursuing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been pursuing
you have been pursuing
he/she/it has been pursuing
we have been pursuing
you have been pursuing
they have been pursuing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been pursuing
you will have been pursuing
he/she/it will have been pursuing
we will have been pursuing
you will have been pursuing
they will have been pursuing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been pursuing
you had been pursuing
he/she/it had been pursuing
we had been pursuing
you had been pursuing
they had been pursuing
Conditional
I would pursue
you would pursue
he/she/it would pursue
we would pursue
you would pursue
they would pursue
Past Conditional
I would have pursued
you would have pursued
he/she/it would have pursued
we would have pursued
you would have pursued
they would have pursued
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.pursue - carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in; "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a discussion"
act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"
practice, commit - engage in or perform; "practice safe sex"; "commit a random act of kindness"
close - engage at close quarters; "close with the enemy"
politick - engage in political activities; "This colleague is always politicking"
2.pursue - 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"
go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
stalk - go through (an area) in search of prey; "stalk the woods for deer"
dog, give chase, go after, chase, tail, chase after, trail, track, tag - go after with the intent to catch; "The policeman chased the mugger down the alley"; "the dog chased the rabbit"
haunt, stalk - follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to; "her ex-boyfriend stalked her"; "the ghost of her mother haunted her"
surveil, survey, follow - keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing"
3.pursue - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby"
look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the missing man in the entire county"
4.pursue - carry further or advancepursue - carry further or advance; "Can you act on this matter soon?"
run down, check out - trace; "We are running down a few tips"
react, oppose - act against or in opposition to; "She reacts negatively to everything I say"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pursue

verb
1. engage in, follow, perform, conduct, wage, tackle, take up, work at, carry on, practise, participate in, prosecute, ply, go in for, apply yourself to Japan would continue to pursue the policies laid down at the summit.
2. try for, seek, desire, search for, aim for, aspire to, work towards, strive for, have as a goal Mr Menendez has aggressively pursued success.
3. continue, maintain, carry on, keep on, hold to, see through, adhere to, persist in, proceed in, persevere in If your request is denied, don't be afraid to pursue the matter.
4. conduct, carry on, undertake, prosecute, devote yourself to overseas graduates intending to pursue full-time research
6. follow, track, hunt, chase, dog, attend, shadow, accompany, harry, tail (informal), haunt, plague, hound, stalk, harass, go after, run after, hunt down, give chase to She pursued the man who had stolen her bag.
follow avoid, flee, shun, run away from, steer clear of, keep away from, give someone or something a wide berth
7. court, woo, pay attention to, make up to (informal), chase after, pay court to, set your cap at He had pursued her, and within weeks they had become lovers.
try for eschew, fight shy of
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

pursue

verb
1. To follow (another) with the intent of overtaking and capturing:
Idioms: be in pursuit, give chase.
2. To strengthen the effect of (an action) by further action:
3. To work at, especially as a profession:
4. To go through (life) in a certain way:
5. To attempt to gain the affection of:
Informal: romance.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
لاحقيُتابِعُ، يُواصِلُيُطارِديُلاحِق
pronásledovatprovádětzabývat sekonatpokračovat
forfølgegå videre medjage
ajaa takaa
slijediti
folytatgyakorolhajszoltöreksziküldöz
leggja stund á, ástundaveita eftirför
追跡する
뒤쫓다추적하다
mėgstamas užsiėmimasvaikymasis
izsekotnodarbotiesnodotiessekot
zasledovati
förfölja
ติดตาม
devam etmekpeşine düşmekpeşine takılmaksürdürmektakip etmek
theo đuổi

pursue

[pəˈsjuː] VT
1. (= chase) → perseguir, seguir
they were being pursued by enemy planeslos aviones enemigos los perseguían or los seguían
she was often pursued by fansa menudo la perseguían or la acosaban sus admiradores
he has been pursued by bad luck all his lifese ha visto perseguido por la mala suerte toda su vida
2. (= engage in) [+ interests, career] → dedicarse a; [+ studies, war, talks] → proseguir; [+ profession] → ejercer, dedicarse a
3. (= continue with) [+ course of action] → seguir; [+ policy, reform] → aplicar
he had been pursuing his own inquirieshabía estado haciendo sus propias averiguaciones
we have decided not to pursue the matter furtherhemos decidido no seguir adelante con el asunto
4. (= strive for) [+ aim, objective, peace] → luchar por; [+ happiness, pleasure] → buscar; [+ success, fame] → perseguir, buscar; [+ rights] → reivindicar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pursue

[pərˈsjuː] vt
(= follow) [+ person, car, animal] → poursuivre
(= involve oneself in) [+ activity, interest, policy, career] → poursuivre
(= seek, try to obtain) [+ aim, objective] → poursuivre; [+ pleasures] → rechercher
(= follow up) [+ inquiry] → poursuivre; [+ matter, idea] → donner suite à
That's an idea that's worth pursuing → C'est une idée à laquelle il est bon de donner suite.
We're pursuing various possibilities → Nous explorons diverses possibilités.
to pursue a matter through the courts → donner des suites judiciaires à une affaire
If the company chooses to pursue the matter through the courts we will defend our position vigorously → Si la compagnie choisit de donner des suites judiciaires à cette affaire, nous défendrons vigoureusement notre position.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pursue

vt
(= follow)verfolgen; girl, film star etcnachlaufen (+dat), → verfolgen; (= strive for) pleasure, successnachjagen (+dat), → aus sein auf (+acc); happinessstreben nach; bad luck seems to pursue himer scheint vom Pech verfolgt zu sein
(= carry on) train of thought, course of action, ideaverfolgen; inquirydurchführen; profession, studiesnachgehen (+dat); subjectweiterführen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pursue

[pəˈsjuː] vt
a. (chase) → inseguire; (pleasures) → andare in cerca di; (subj, bad luck) → perseguitare
b. (carry on, studies) → proseguire; (career) → intraprendere; (inquiry, matter) → portare avanti; (plan) → andare avanti con
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

pursue

(pəˈsjuː) verb
1. to follow especially in order to catch or capture; to chase. They pursued the thief through the town.
2. to occupy oneself with (studies, enquiries etc); to continue. He is pursuing his studies at the University.
purˈsuer noun
pursuit (pəˈsjuːt) noun
1. the act of pursuing. The thief ran down the street with a policeman in (hot) pursuit.
2. an occupation or hobby. holiday pursuits.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

pursue

يُلاحِق zabývat se forfølge verfolgen επιδιώκω perseguir ajaa takaa poursuivre slijediti inseguire 追跡する 추적하다 nastreven jage ścigać perseguir преследовать förfölja ติดตาม peşine takılmak theo đuổi 追赶
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
The Nightingale, about to lose his life, earnestly begged the Hawk to let him go, saying that he was not big enough to satisfy the hunger of a Hawk who, if he wanted food, ought to pursue the larger birds.
Though we have properly enough entitled this our work, a history, and not a life; nor an apology for a life, as is more in fashion; yet we intend in it rather to pursue the method of those writers, who profess to disclose the revolutions of countries, than to imitate the painful and voluminous historian, who, to preserve the regularity of his series, thinks himself obliged to fill up as much paper with the detail of months and years in which nothing remarkable happened, as he employs upon those notable aeras when the greatest scenes have been transacted on the human stage.
Now it is our purpose, in the ensuing pages, to pursue a contrary method.
Oh, this is the hostility of light to the shining one: unpityingly doth it pursue its course.
and ENE., so that we were a long while upon our voyage, and we were but ill provided with victuals for so long a run; and what was still worse, there was some danger that those English and Dutch ships whose boats pursued us, whereof some were bound that way, might have got in before us, and if not, some other ship bound to China might have information of us from them, and pursue us with the same vigour.
As soon as General Clark, then at the Falls of the Ohio, who was ever our ready friend, and merits the love and gratitude of all his country-men, understood the circumstances of this unfortunate action, he ordered an expedition, with all possible haste, to pursue the savages, which was so expeditiously effected, that we overtook them within two miles of their towns, and probably might have obtained a great victory, had not two of their number met us about two hundred poles before we come up.
We couldn't keep from laughing after we came out of the tent because they were acting on such a small platform that Eliza had to run round and round, and part of the time the one dog they had pursued her, and part of the time she had to pursue the dog.
I think there would have been something ironic in the picture of the successful old man, rich and honoured, living in another the life which he, though knowing it was the better part, had not had the strength to pursue.
My poor partner in this mischief was now in a bad case, for he was carried away before my Lord Mayor, and by his worship committed to Newgate, and the people that took him were so willing, as well as able, to prosecute him, that they offered themselves to enter into recognisances to appear at the sessions and pursue the charge against him.
And what occupation does this young woman pursue, Mary Anne?
The United States were the first in the field; and in New York they made preparations for an expedition destined to pursue this narwhal.
A mind of moderate capacity which closely pursues one study must infallibly arrive at great proficiency in that study; and I, who continually sought the attainment of one object of pursuit and was solely wrapped up in this, improved so rapidly that at the end of two years I made some discoveries in the improvement of some chemical instruments, which procured me great esteem and admiration at the university.