pursuit

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pur·suit

(pər-so͞ot′)

1. The act or an instance of chasing or pursuing: the pursuit of the suspect by the police.

2. The act of striving to gain or accomplish something: the pursuit of wealth; the pursuit of higher education.

3. An activity, such as a vocation or hobby, engaged in regularly.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman pursuite, from pursure, to pursue; see pursue.]

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.

pursuit

(pəˈsjuːt)

a. the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after

b. (as modifier): a pursuit plane.

2. (Other Non-sporting Hobbies) an occupation, hobby, or pastime

3. (Cycle Racing) (in cycling) a race in which the riders set off at intervals along the track and attempt to overtake each other

[C14: from Old French poursieute, from poursivre to prosecute, pursue]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pur•suit

(pərˈsut)

n.

1. the act of pursuing.

2. an effort to secure or attain; quest.

3. an occupation or pastime one regularly engages in: literary pursuits.

[1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French purseute « Vulgar Latin *prōsequita for Latin prōsecūta, feminine of prōsecūtus, past participle of prōsequī to pursue; compare suit]

pursuit

dachshund - German for "badger hound," from its original breeding purpose to pursue a badger (etc.) that has taken refuge in a burrow.
invite - Comes from Latin invitare, from an Indo-European root meaning "to go after something, pursue with vigor, desire."
logology - The pursuit of word puzzles; also the science of words.
sue - From Latin sequi, "follow," it first meant "follow, go in pursuit of."

pursuit

An offensive operation designed to catch or cut off a hostile force attempting to escape, with the aim of destroying it.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

Pursuit

(He was) after her like a hound after a deer —Harriet Beecher Stowe
(He was) after it like a duck on a June bug —American colloquialism, attributed to the South
A twist on the duck/bug comparison is to be after something, “Like a pet coon into the churn.”
(He was) after it like the stink after onion —American colloquialism, attributed to the South
Chased him like a fox chases a turkey —Rosa Guy
Chased me … like a kid after a fire truck —Irwin Shaw
Follow after me like an old weasel tracing a rat —John M. Synge
In Synge’s script for The Playboy of the Western World, ‘weasel’ was spelled with the letter z.
Follow each other like lemmings over the cliffs of Dover —Richard Hicks, about discount book sellers, Publishers’ Weekly, 1986
Follow every lead like a lawyer building a case —Anon
Followed her about like a little dog —William Makepeace Thackeray
Followed him like a trained sleuth —Shelby Hearon
Followed one another like insects going at dawn through the heavy grass —Eudora Welty
Follow you around like flies —Gavin Lyall
Haunted me like a passion —William Wordsworth
Held on his trail like an old hound after his last coon —James Crumley
Hounded him like bailiffs —Oakley Hall
Looked for … like a bird looking for forage in a desert —Arthur A. Cohen
Pursue as wolves pursue sheep —William Reese, a rare book dealer, quoted in Wall Street Journal article on how book collectors go after their finds, May 6, 1986
[A disease] pursued him like a hobgoblin —Maurice Edelman
Pursue as a male dog goes after a bitch in heat —Anon
Pursuing him like a nemesis, like an unwanted, embarrassing relative —Donald McCaig
Slivered after him like mercury —Wilfrid Sheed
Sniff out like a terrier smells a rat —Basil Blackwell
Tagging along [behind character in story] like an anthropologist tags along behind his Indian —Deborah Eisenberg
Trailing … like a cape before a bull —Lawrence Durrell
Trotting behind like a penny dog —Rita Mae Brown
Will run him down like a greyhound catching a hare —George Garrett
Would be on my back like a bad case of sunburn —Shelby Hearon

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	pursuit - the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture; "the culprit started to run and the cop took off in pursuit" chase, pursual, following movement, move, motion - the act of changing location from one place to another; "police controlled the motion of the crowd"; "the movement of people from the farms to the cities"; "his move put him directly in my path" tracking, trailing - the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind shadowing, tailing - the act of following someone secretly stalking, stalk - the act of following prey stealthily
	2.	pursuit - a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria; "the pursuit of love"; "life is more than the pursuance of fame"; "a quest for wealth" pursuance, quest wild-goose chase - the fruitless pursuit of something unattainable search - the examination of alternative hypotheses; "his search for a move that would avoid checkmate was unsuccessful"
	3.	pursuit - an auxiliary activity avocation, hobby, spare-time activity, by-line, sideline pastime, pursuit, interest - a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits" spelaeology, speleology - the pastime of exploring caves
	4.	pursuit - a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits" pastime, interest diversion, recreation - an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates; "scuba diving is provided as a diversion for tourists"; "for recreation he wrote poetry and solved crossword puzzles"; "drug abuse is often regarded as a form of recreation" avocation, hobby, spare-time activity, by-line, pursuit, sideline - an auxiliary activity

pursuit

noun

1. quest, seeking, search, aim of, aspiration for, striving towards individuals in pursuit of their dreams the pursuit of happiness

2. pursuing, seeking, tracking, search, hunt, hunting, chase, trail, trailing Police had obstructed justice by hindering the pursuit of terrorists.

3. occupation, activity, interest, line, pleasure, hobby, pastime, vocation They both love outdoor pursuits.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

pursuit

noun

1. The following of another in an attempt to overtake and capture:

chase, hot pursuit.

2. An attempting to accomplish or attain:

pursuing, quest, search.

3. Activity pursued as a livelihood:

art, business, calling, career, craft, employment, job, line, métier, occupation, profession, trade, vocation, work.

Slang: racket.

Archaic: employ.

4. A working at a profession or occupation:

practice.

Translations

مُتابَعَه، مُواصَلَهمُطارَدَه، مُلاحَقَهمُلاحَقَةُ

činnostsnahasnaženístíhání

=-beskæftigelsebeskæftigelseforfølgelselige i hælene

Verfolgung Beschäftigung

καταδίωξη

persecución desempeño ocupación

takaa-ajo

poursuite

težnja

elfoglaltságtevékenységtörekvésűzés

eftirförstarf, iîja

inseguimento

追跡

추적

zasledovanje

förföljelse

การพยายามให้ถึงความต้องการ

kovalamakovalamacapeşine düşmeuğraş

sự theo đuổi

业余消遣职业追捕追赶追逐

pursuit

[pəˈsjuːt]

A. N

1. (= chase) → caza f, persecución f (fig) [of pleasure, happiness, knowledge] → busca f, búsqueda f
the pursuit of wealth → el afán de riqueza
in (the) pursuit of sth/sb → en busca de algo/algn
to set out in pursuit of sb → salir en busca de algn
with two policemen in hot pursuit → con dos policías pisándole los talones

2. (= occupation) outdoor pursuits → actividades fpl al aire libre
literary pursuits → intereses mpl literarios, actividades fpl literarias
leisure pursuits → pasatiempos mpl

B. CPD pursuit plane N → avión m de caza

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

pursuit

[pə^rˈsjuːt] n

(= seeking) the pursuit of sth [+ happiness, pleasure, excellence] → la quête de qch, la poursuite de qch
in pursuit of sth [+ happiness, pleasure] → en quête de qch

(= following) [person, car, animal] → poursuite f
in pursuit of sb/sth [+ person, car, animal] → à la poursuite de qn/qch
with sb in hot pursuit → avec qn sur ses talons, avec qn à ses trousses
to be in hot pursuit of sb → talonner qn
Rangers are in hot pursuit of Bayern Munich and Valencia → Les Rangers talonnent le Bayern et Valence.

(= pastime) → passe-temps m inv (= occupation) → activité f
leisure pursuits → activités de loisirs
outdoor pursuits → activités de plein air
scientific pursuits → recherches fpl scientifiques

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pursuit

(= act of pursuing) (of person) → Verfolgung f (→ of +gen), → Jagd f (→ of auf +acc); (of knowledge) → Streben nt → (of nach), Trachten nt → (of nach); (of pleasure) → Jagd f → (of nach); (of happiness) → Streben nt → (of nach); he set off in pursuit (of her) → er rannte/fuhr (ihr) hinterher; to go in pursuit of somebody/something → sich auf die Jagd nach jdm/etw machen; hot pursuit (Mil) → Nacheile f; in hot pursuit of somebody → hart auf jds Fersen (dat); to set off/be in hot pursuit of somebody/something → jdm/einer Sache nachjagen; in hot pursuit of the thief → in wilder Jagd auf den Dieb; in (the) pursuit of his goal → in Verfolgung seines Ziels; Kissinger’s pursuit of peace → Kissingers Friedensbemühungen pl

(= occupation) → Beschäftigung f; (= hobby, pastime) → Freizeitbeschäftigung f, → Zeitvertreib m; his literary pursuits → seine Beschäftigung mit der Literatur

(Sport: also pursuit race) → Verfolgungsrennen nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pursuit

[pəˈsjuːt] n

a. (chase) → inseguimento (fig) (of pleasure, happiness, knowledge) → ricerca
in (the) pursuit of sb → all'inseguimento di qn
in (the) pursuit of sth → alla ricerca di qc
with two policemen in hot pursuit → con due poliziotti alle calcagna

b. (occupation) → attività f inv, occupazione f; (pastime) → svago, passatempo
scientific pursuits → ricerche fpl scientifiche

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.

pursuit

→ مُلاحَقَةُ snaha forfølgelse Verfolgung καταδίωξη persecución takaa-ajo poursuite težnja inseguimento 追跡 추적 nastreven forfølgelse pościg perseguição преследование förföljelse การพยายามให้ถึงความต้องการ kovalamaca sự theo đuổi 追逐

References in classic literature ?

that different natures ought to have different pursuits, and that men's and women's natures are different.

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All at once, Cornelius van Baerle, who, after all his learned pursuits, had been seized with the tulipomania, made some changes in his house at Dort, which, as we have stated, was next door to that of Boxtel.

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The house and the garden, with all the objects surrounding them, were now become familiar, and the ordinary pursuits which had given to Norland half its charms were engaged in again with far greater enjoyment than Norland had been able to afford, since the loss of their father.

View in context

His work, both on the land and on the book, in which the principles of the new land system were to be laid down, had not been abandoned; but just as formerly these pursuits and ideas had seemed to him petty and trivial in comparison with the darkness that overspread all life, now they seemed as unimportant and petty in comparison with the life that lay before him suffused with the brilliant light of happiness.

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In the meantime the captain addressed himself steadily to the business of his ship, scorning the holiday spirit and useless pursuits of his emancipated messmates, and warning them, from time to time, not to wander away nor be out of hail.

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'I did not mean that,' said Rose, weeping; 'I only wish you had left here, that you might have turned to high and noble pursuits again; to pursuits well worthy of you.'

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Two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva, but was engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries which I hoped to make.

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An hour or so after I started in leisurely pursuit.

View in context

A Throng of People on the Horizon.--A Troop of Arabs.--The Pursuit. --It is He.--Fall from Horseback.--The Strangled Arab.--A Ball from Kennedy.--Adroit Manoeuvres.--Caught up flying.--Joe saved at last.

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When he had rested and bound up his wounded leg he started on in pursuit of the drifting canoe.

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For however eagerly and impetuously the savage crew had hailed the announcement of his quest; yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable --they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness --and when retained for any object remote and blank in the pursuit, however promissory of life and passion in the end, it is above all things requisite that temporary interests and employment should intervene and hold them healthily suspended for the final dash.

View in context

Thus, the pursuit of Hector would be ludicrous if placed upon the stage--the Greeks standing still and not joining in the pursuit, and Achilles waving them back.