pursue

Use the verb pursue when you're chasing after someone or something. A hungry lion might pursue a zebra, the paparazzi might pursue a celebrity, and a young dancer might pursue her dream of becoming a prima ballerina.

Pursue originally meant "to follow with hostile intent," from a Latin root word, prosequi, "follow, accompany, follow after, or follow up." Today, when you pursue someone, it's not necessarily with bad intentions. A police officer, for example, might pursue a criminal, and your dog might pursue your cat around the house just for fun. If you pursue a career in journalism, you are working to achieve it. Likewise, you pursue a strategy or a hobby if you do it consistently.

Definitions of pursue
  1. verb
    follow in or as if in pursuit
    “The police car pursued the suspected attacker”
    synonyms: follow
    follow, surveil, survey
    keep under surveillance
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    types:
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    stalk
    go through (an area) in search of prey
    chase, chase after, dog, give chase, go after, tag, tail, track, trail
    go after with the intent to catch
    haunt, stalk
    follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to
    tree
    chase an animal up a tree
    quest
    search the trail of (game)
    hound, hunt, trace
    pursue or chase relentlessly
    run down
    pursue until captured
    type of:
    go, locomote, move, travel
    change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
  2. verb
    go in search of or hunt for
    “pursue a hobby”
    synonyms: go after, quest after, quest for
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    type of:
    look for, search, seek
    try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
  3. verb
    carry further or advance
    synonyms: act on, follow up on
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    types:
    check out, run down
    trace
    type of:
    oppose, react
    act against or in opposition to
  4. verb
    carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
    “She pursued many activities”
    synonyms: engage, prosecute
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    types:
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    commit, practice
    engage in or perform
    close
    engage at close quarters
    politick
    engage in political activities
    logroll
    work toward the passage of some legislation by exchanging political favors such as trading votes
    type of:
    act, move
    perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
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