sought

/sɔːt/ (bre, ipa) · /sɑːt/ (ame, ipa)

sought — verb

1. the form of the verb 'seek' that shows an action happened in the past, or is use

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

the form of the verb 'seek' that shows an action happened in the past, or is used with 'have' to connect past actions to the present, or with 'be' to form the passive voice.

例句

When her business struggled, Élise sought advice from an older shop owner in town.

sought + noun (advice / help / shelter)

During the earthquake, hundreds of families sought shelter in school buildings and sports halls.

sought + noun for physical search

文法句型

sought + noun phrase

sought + to-infinitive

had/have/has sought

用法筆記

Irregular past form — not 'seeked'. Common collocations include 'sought advice', 'sought help', 'sought shelter', 'sought permission'. The form with 'to-infinitive' (e.g. 'sought to improve') indicates an attempted action, which may or may not have succeeded.

常見錯誤

❌She seeked advice from a lawyer.
✅She sought advice from a lawyer.
💡'seek' is an irregular verb; its past form is 'sought', not 'seeked'.
❌I have seeked the answer everywhere.
✅I have sought the answer everywhere.
💡the past participle is also 'sought', not 'seeked'.