pursue

/pəˈsjuː/ (bre, ipa) · /pərˈsuː/ (ame, ipa) · /pər-ˈsü -ˈsyü/ (ame, mw)

pursue — verb

  • pursuepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • pursueshe / she / it
  • pursuedpast simple
  • pursuing-ing form

1. to run after a person, animal, or vehicle, trying to catch up to them

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to run after a person, animal, or vehicle, trying to catch up to them

例句

The police officer pursued the thief through the narrow streets of the old town.

direct pursuit of a person

A stray dog pursued Rohan's bicycle all the way to the park gate.

pursue + vehicle as object

同義詞
  • chase

    less formal, more common in everyday speech

  • follow

    can mean going behind without the intention to catch

  • trail

    suggests following secretly or at a distance

反義詞
  • flee

    to run away from; the opposite action

  • escape

    to successfully get away from a pursuer

文法句型

pursue + noun phrase

用法筆記

This sense focuses on physical movement to overtake someone or something. It is more formal than 'chase', which is the everyday equivalent.

常見錯誤

❌The police chased after the thief' (when writing formally).
✅The police pursued the thief through the city.
💡'chase after' is less formal; 'pursue' suits written or formal contexts.

2. to try to persuade a person to take a role by showing strong interest and making

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to try to persuade a person to take a role by showing strong interest and making repeated offers

例句

The company has been pursuing a new chief engineer for several months now.

pursue + person for a role

Top universities often pursue outstanding students with generous scholarship offers.

同義詞
  • recruit

    more direct and common; 'pursue' suggests sustained effort

  • court

    formal, often used for high-level executives or talent

文法句型

pursue + noun phrase (person for a role)

用法筆記

Frequently used in passive form: 'She was pursued by several firms.' The object is always a person, not a job or position.

常見錯誤

❌They pursued the job with great effort.
✅They pursued her for the job.
💡in this sense, the object is the person you want to hire, not the job itself.

3. to search for facts, answers, or knowledge about a particular topic or question

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to search for facts, answers, or knowledge about a particular topic or question

例句

The scientist decided to pursue a new line of research into the rare disease.

pursue + a line of research / inquiry

Detectives are pursuing every possible lead in the missing-person case.

collocation: pursue a lead

同義詞
  • investigate

    more systematic and formal; suggests an official process

  • explore

    suggests open-ended discovery without a fixed answer

  • look into

    less formal, common in conversation

反義詞
  • ignore

    to deliberately avoid or pay no attention to

文法句型

pursue + noun phrase (matter/lead/line of inquiry/quotation)

用法筆記

Often used in academic, journalistic, and legal contexts. The object is typically an abstract thing such as a question, lead, line of inquiry, or topic.

常見錯誤

❌I pursued about the topic.
✅I pursued the topic further.
💡'pursue' is transitive and takes a direct object; do not add a preposition after it.

4. to try to win someone's romantic interest, often by showing attention over time

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

to try to win someone's romantic interest, often by showing attention over time

例句

Felipe pursued Tariq's sister for months before she finally agreed to a date.

romantic pursuit + time frame

In the film, a young painter pursues a famous dancer across several European cities.

同義詞
  • woo

    slightly old-fashioned or literary

  • court

    formal, suggests traditional dating

  • chase after

    informal, can sound less serious

反義詞
  • reject

    to turn down someone's romantic interest

  • ignore

    to show no romantic interest in someone

文法句型

pursue + noun phrase (person)

用法筆記

This sense describes ongoing effort to gain someone's romantic affection. It can sound slightly formal or literary — in casual conversation, 'ask out' or 'try to get a date with' is more common.

常見錯誤

❌He pursued a relationship with her' (vague).
✅He pursued her romantically for several weeks.
💡in this sense, the direct object is typically the person, not the relationship.

5. to keep working at a goal or ambition steadily, often for months or years

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

to keep working at a goal or ambition steadily, often for months or years

例句

Indra has been pursuing a degree in public health since she finished high school.

pursue + academic degree

The charity pursues its mission of bringing clean water to every village in the region.

pursue + mission / goal

同義詞
  • strive for

    emphasises effort and difficulty

  • work toward

    more concrete; describes the action rather than the intention

  • seek

    broader; can be immediate or long-term

  • go after

    informal

反義詞
  • abandon

    to give up a goal or plan

  • give up

    to stop trying to achieve something

文法句型

pursue + noun phrase (goal/dream/career/interest)

用法筆記

This is the broadest and most common sense of 'pursue'. The object is always an abstract goal, ambition, activity, or plan — never a person. Frequently used in professional, academic, and personal-development contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I pursue to become a doctor.
✅I plan to pursue a career in medicine.
💡'pursue' takes a noun phrase as object, not an infinitive verb.