What does pursing mean?
Pursuing means following or actively seeking someone or something, and it also carries the broader sense of trying to achieve a goal, opportunity, or course of action. A person may pursue a career, an investigation, further education, or a romantic partner. The word often conveys determination and sustained effort rather than a brief attempt, so “pursuing his studies” suggests committed work toward a defined objective. In its physical sense, pursuing can describe following someone or something at speed or tracking a target. It may also mean seeking someone’s affection, although that use can sound old-fashioned in some contexts. Closely related to the sense of seeking is the idea of advancing or continuing a course of action: a government may pursue a policy, or a researcher may pursue a line of inquiry. The form is common in both British and American English and is especially useful when the emphasis is on purposeful, active effort.
Follow, track, or try to achieve a person, thing, goal, or course of action.
"The detective spent the morning pursuing every available lead."
The present participle is used before a noun, as in “a pursuing officer,” and as a gerund, as in “she is pursuing a new career.”
Characterized by active following or seeking; especially of a look or manner that seeks to attract or hold attention.
"He turned away from her pursuing gaze."
This attributive use is less common than the verbal form and is especially associated with a “pursuing look” or “pursuing lips.”
Pursuing one ambition can redirect an entire life—and the word’s history follows a determined hunter on the trail.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pursing come from?
The word derives from Old French poursuivre, meaning “to follow,” which came from Latin persequi, “to follow after” or “to pursue.” English borrowed the term in the Middle English period in the sense of following someone in order to catch them. The Latin root also underlies cognates including persecute, persecution, and prosecute.
Related word forms
How pursing is actually used
The form is used in formal and informal contexts. As a present participle it normally takes an object, as in “pursuing a goal,” and as a gerund it can function as a noun, as in “the pursuit of knowledge” is expressed by “pursuing knowledge.”
Easily confused with pursing
Pursuing means following, seeking, or trying to achieve something, whereas perusing means reading or examining something carefully.