pursue
verb
Simple meaning
To try hard to get or achieve something over time.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
persooSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
pɚˈsu
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ambitransitive
Follow in or as if in pursuit
“The police car pursued the suspected attacker.”
ambitransitive
To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.
transitive
To follow, travel down (a particular way, course of action etc.).
transitive
To aim for, go after (a specified objective, situation etc.).
Carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
transitive
To participate in (an activity, business etc.); to practise, follow (a profession).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Follow in or as if in pursuit
Used this way, pursue is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The police car pursued the suspected attacker.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use pursue
- “The police car pursued the suspected attacker.”verb
- “She pursued many activities.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.