What does "pursuing" mean?

1. (chasing someone) following someone or something in order to catch them. 2. (trying to achieve a goal) working hard over a long time to reach a goal or get what you want. 3. (investigating or continuing) continuing to look into a subject or an idea to find out more. 4. (the act of following) the act of chasing or following something.

How do you use "pursuing"?

Often used in the continuous tense to describe an active chase. Commonly collocates with 'career', 'degree', 'dream', or 'goal'. Often used in academic or professional contexts regarding research or legal inquiries.

pursuing

v. · n.

US //pɝˈsuɪŋ// UK //pəsjˈuːɪŋ// pur·su·ing

1 chasing someone (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

following someone or something in order to catch them.

following or chasing a person or animal with the intent to capture, overtake, or harm them.

Example

The police were pursuing the stolen car through the city streets.

Example

The documentary captured the pack of wolves pursuing a lone elk across the frozen tundra for several miles before the final confrontation.

Usage

Often used in the continuous tense to describe an active chase.
- fleeing
- retreating
2 trying to achieve a goal (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

working hard over a long time to reach a goal or get what you want.

striving to attain or accomplish a specific objective, such as a career path, a degree, or a personal ambition.

Example

She is pursuing a degree in medicine because she wants to help people.

Example

After years of working in finance, he decided to start pursuing his lifelong passion for landscape photography as a full-time profession.

Usage

Commonly collocates with 'career', 'degree', 'dream', or 'goal'.
- seeking
- following
- aiming for
- abandoning
- quitting

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3 investigating or continuing (v.)
C1 Advanced Academic Formal

continuing to look into a subject or an idea to find out more.

continuing to investigate, explore, or discuss a particular subject, inquiry, or line of reasoning.

Example

The journalist is pursuing a new lead in the corruption story.

Example

The research team is currently pursuing several different hypotheses to explain the unexpected results of the clinical trial.

Usage

Often used in academic or professional contexts regarding research or legal inquiries.
- dropping
- ignoring
4 the act of following (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the act of chasing or following something.

the action of following or chasing someone or something; used as a gerund to describe the activity itself.

Example

The pursuing of the suspect lasted for over an hour.

Example

The constant pursuing of higher profits sometimes leads companies to ignore their environmental responsibilities.

Teacher's tip

While 'pursuing' can be a noun, 'pursuit' is much more common in general English for this meaning.
- pursuit
- chase