Adjacent Words

Pursuit definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PURSUIT, n. The act of following with a view to overtake; a following with haste, either for sport or in hostility; as the pursuit of game; the pursuit of an enemy.
1. A following with a view to reach, accomplish or obtain; endeavor to attain to or gain; as the pursuit of knowledge; the pursuit of happiness or pleasure; the pursuit of power, of honor, of distinction, of a phantom.
2. Proceeding; course of business or occupation; continued employment with a view to some end; as mercantile pursuits; literary pursuits.
3. Prosecution; continuance of endeavor.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture; "the culprit started to run and the cop took off in pursuit" [syn: pursuit, chase, pursual, following]
2: 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" [syn: pursuit, pursuance, quest]
3: an auxiliary activity [syn: avocation, by-line, hobby, pursuit, sideline, spare-time activity]
4: 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" [syn: pastime, interest, pursuit]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French pursute, from pursure Date: 14th century 1. the act of pursuing 2. an activity that one engages in as a vocation, profession, or avocation ; occupation Synonyms: see work

U.S. Military Dictionary

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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the act or an instance of pursuing. 2 an occupation or activity pursued. Phrases and idioms: in pursuit of pursuing. Etymology: ME f. OF poursuite (as PUR-, SUIT)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pursuit Pur*suit", n. [F. poursuite, fr. poursuivre. See Pursue, v. t.] 1. The act of following or going after; esp., a following with haste, either for sport or in hostility; chase; prosecution; as, the pursuit of game; the pursuit of an enemy. --Clarendon. Weak we are, and can not shun pursuit. --Shak. 2. A following with a view to reach, accomplish, or obtain; endeavor to attain to or gain; as, the pursuit of knowledge; the pursuit of happiness or pleasure. 3. Course of business or occupation; continued employment with a view to same end; as, mercantile pursuits; a literary pursuit. 4. (Law) Prosecution. [Obs.] That pursuit for tithes ought, and of ancient time did pertain to the spiritual court. --Fuller. Curve of pursuit (Geom.), a curve described by a point which is at each instant moving towards a second point, which is itself moving according to some specified law.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pursuits) 1. Your pursuit of something is your attempts at achieving it. If you do something in pursuit of a particular result, you do it in order to achieve that result. ...a young man whose relentless pursuit of excellence is conducted with single-minded determination. N-UNCOUNT: N of n, oft in N of n 2. The pursuit of an activity, interest, or plan consists of all the things that you do when you are carrying it out. The vigorous pursuit of policies is no guarantee of success. N-UNCOUNT: N of n 3. Someone who is in pursuit of a person, vehicle, or animal is chasing them. ...a police officer who drove a patrol car at more than 120mph in pursuit of a motor cycle. N-UNCOUNT: usu in N of n 4. Your pursuits are your activities, usually activities that you enjoy when you are not working. They both love outdoor pursuits... N-COUNT: usu pl, with supp 5. If you are in hot pursuit of someone, you are chasing after them with great determination. I rushed through with Sue in hot pursuit. PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Chase, race. 2. Pursuance, prosecution, following out.

Moby Thesaurus

accomplishment, activity, aim, area, art, avocation, bag, business, butt, by-end, by-purpose, calling, career, career building, careerism, chasing, chevy, chivy, craft, cup of tea, destination, dogging, employment, end, end in view, field, final cause, following, forte, game, goal, handicraft, heeling, hobby, hounding, hunt, hunting, interest, job, lifework, line, line of business, line of work, long suit, looking for, main interest, manner, mark, metier, mission, mystery, number, object, object in mind, objective, obtaining, occupation, pastime, pet subject, practice, prey, profession, pursual, pursuance, pursuing, quarry, quest, quintain, racket, reaching, reason for being, search, searching, seeking, sequel, sequence, series, shadowing, specialism, speciality, specialization, specialty, stalking, strong point, style, tailing, target, technicality, teleology, thing, tracing, tracking, trade, trailing, type, ultimate aim, vocation, walk, walk of life, way, weakness, work