# pursuing

/pɝˈsuɪŋ/ (US) · /pəsjˈuːɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pursuing
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. chasing someone

verb · CEFR B2

following someone or something in order to catch them.

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

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

### 2. trying to achieve a goal

verb · CEFR B2

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

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

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

### 3. investigating or continuing

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

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

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

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

### 4. the act of following

noun · CEFR B2

the act of chasing or following something.

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

- The pursuing of the suspect lasted for over an hour.
- The constant pursuing of higher profits sometimes leads companies to ignore their environmental responsibilities.

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

## Examples

- She is pursuing a degree in medicine.
- After years of working in finance, he decided to start pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a professional chef.
- The committee spent several months pursuing a more sustainable strategy, though the sudden shift in market conditions eventually forced them to reconsider their primary objectives.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.