Synonyms for Pursue: Chase, Seek, Strive, or Aspire?

Do you use the word pursue when talking about goals, career opportunities, personal ambitions, or investigations? Finding the right alternative can make your writing more specific because pursue expresses different actions depending on the situation.

Pursue means to follow, seek, chase, or work toward something with continued effort. Depending on your context, useful synonyms for pursue include seek, chase, follow, strive for, aim for, track, investigate, and work toward. However, these alternatives are not interchangeable.

You seek an opportunity when trying to find it, strive for a goal through determined effort, and track someone or something to follow their movements. Whether you’re writing an essay, describing professional ambitions, or improving your everyday vocabulary, these 50+ synonyms for pursue will help you express your ideas more accurately and naturally.

Chase

Meaning:

Chase means to run after someone or something in order to catch them.

Examples:

• The kids chased the ice-cream truck all the way down the street.
• The cat chased a butterfly around the garden.

Follow

Meaning:

Follow means to go after someone, moving in the same direction behind them.

Examples:

• The puppy followed me all the way home from the park.
• Follow the signs until you reach the lake.

Hunt

Meaning:

Hunt means to search for something with effort and determination.

Examples:

• The detective hunted the thief across three cities.
• They hunted for seashells along the quiet shore.

Track

Meaning:

Track means to follow the trail, signs, or movements of someone or something.

Examples:

• The rescue team tracked the missing hikers through the snow.
• She tracked her steps with a fitness watch.

Trail

Meaning:

Trail means to follow slowly behind someone or something.

Examples:

• The journalist trailed the candidate for an entire week.
• The child trailed behind his mother at the market.

Shadow

Meaning:

Shadow means to follow someone closely and secretly.

Examples:

• The bodyguard shadowed the singer through the busy crowd.
• Dark clouds shadowed the valley throughout the afternoon.

Stalk

Meaning:

Stalk means to follow or watch someone in a threatening, obsessive way.

Examples:

• He was arrested after he stalked his former partner for weeks.
• The lion stalked its prey through the tall grass.

Hound

Meaning:

Hound means to pursue someone relentlessly, often to annoy or pressure them.

Examples:

• Reporters hounded the actor for a comment outside the hotel.
• Guilt hounded him long after the trial ended.

Dog

Meaning:

Dog means to follow or trouble someone persistently.

Examples:

• Bad luck seemed to dog him for the whole year.
• Tough questions dogged the mayor throughout the scandal.

Harass

Meaning:

Harass means to keep pursuing someone in an aggressive, irritating way.

Examples:

• The collectors harassed her with calls every single day.
• Pesky flies harassed the picnic guests all afternoon.

Seek

Meaning:

Seek means to try to find, get, or achieve something.

Examples:

• She left her hometown to seek a better life.
• They quickly sought shelter under the old bridge.

Strive for

Meaning:

Strive for means to work very hard to achieve something.

Examples:

• He strives for perfection in every dish he cooks.
• The whole team strives for excellence every season.

Aim for

Meaning:

Aim for means to set something as your goal or target.

Examples:

• Aim for progress, not perfection.
• We aim for a quieter neighborhood next year.

Aspire to

Meaning:

Aspire to means to have a strong desire to achieve something great.

Examples:

• She aspires to become a surgeon one day.
• He still aspires to run his own bakery.

Go after

Meaning:

Go after means to actively try to get something you want.

Examples:

• He went after the scholarship with everything he had.
• She went after the stray ball eagerly today.

Work toward

Meaning:

Work toward means to make steady, consistent effort to reach a goal.

Examples:

• Both sides are working toward a peace agreement.
• They worked toward saving enough for a house.

Endeavor

Meaning:

Endeavor means to try hard to do something (formal).

Examples:

• We endeavor to answer every message within a day.
• We endeavor to keep the park clean daily.

Attempt

Meaning:

Attempt means to make an effort to do or complete something.

Examples:

• She attempted the climb twice before she finally succeeded.
• He attempted a new recipe for the dinner party.

Undertake

Meaning:

Undertake means to take on a task, duty, or project in a formal way.

Examples:

• The company undertook a full redesign of its website.
• She undertook the care of her aging parents.

Engage in

Meaning:

Engage in means to take an active part in an activity or process.

Examples:

• They engaged in months of talks before signing the deal.
• They engaged in a friendly chess match nightly.

Keep up

Meaning:

Keep up means to continue doing something without stopping.

Examples:

• She keeps up her running routine even in winter.
• He keeps up with news through morning podcasts.

Carry on

Meaning:

Carry on means to continue with something despite difficulty.

Examples:

• He carried on writing after every rejection letter.
• They happily carried on dancing despite the rain.

Press on

Meaning:

Press on means to keep going with determination.

Examples:

• Tired but hopeful, they pressed on toward the summit.
• The hikers pressed on through the thick fog.

Push for

Meaning:

Push for means to strongly support or demand something.

Examples:

• Activists pushed for stricter clean-air laws.
• She pushed for a later curfew with her parents.

Persist in

Meaning:

Persist in means to continue firmly despite obstacles or opposition.

Examples:

• She persisted in her studies and graduated top of her class.
• He persisted in practicing until the song was perfect.

Persevere in

Meaning:

Persevere in means to keep trying patiently through hardship.

Examples:

• He persevered in his research for nearly a decade.
• She persevered in her training despite the injury.

Proceed with

Meaning:

Proceed with means to continue with a planned action or decision.

Examples:

• The team decided to proceed with the launch.
• They proceeded with the wedding despite the storm.

Follow through on

Meaning:

Follow through on means to complete something you started or promised.

Examples:

• He followed through on his promise to call her back.
• She followed through on her plan to volunteer weekly.

See through

Meaning:

See through means to continue something until it is fully finished.

Examples:

• She saw the difficult project through to the end.
• He saw the home renovation through to completion.

Compete for

Meaning:

Compete for means to try to win something against others.

Examples:

• Twenty chefs competed for the top prize.
• The hungry siblings competed for the last slice.

Contend for

Meaning:

Contend for means to struggle to win or achieve something.

Examples:

• Two teams contended for the championship title.
• Three rival firms contended for the big contract.

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Vie for

Meaning:

Vie for means to compete eagerly for something.

Examples:

• Young artists vied for a place in the exhibition.
• The playful puppies vied for their mother’s attention.

Fight for

Meaning:

Fight for means to struggle hard to get or keep something.

Examples:

• She fought for her right to be heard.
• They fiercely fought for the last parking spot.

Battle for

Meaning:

Battle for means to fight hard over a long period of time.

Examples:

• The two firms battled for control of the market.
• The two cats battled for the sunny windowsill.

Campaign for

Meaning:

Campaign for means to work actively toward a goal, often a public one.

Examples:

• He campaigned for better schools in his town.
• She campaigned for a new playground in spring.

Struggle for

Meaning:

Struggle for means to make great efforts against difficulty.

Examples:

• They struggled for years to buy their first home.
• The climbers struggled for breath at the peak.

Court

Meaning:

Court means to try to win someone’s love, favor, or support.

Examples:

• He courted her with flowers and long evening walks.
• The prince courted the village girl with songs.

Woo

Meaning:

Woo means to try to gain someone’s love, loyalty, or support.

Examples:

• The startup wooed investors with a bold pitch.
• The new bakery wooed customers with free samples.

Romance

Meaning:

Romance means to pursue someone romantically with charm and affection.

Examples:

• He romanced her with candlelit dinners and handwritten notes.
• They slowly romanced each other through long letters.

Solicit

Meaning:

Solicit means to ask for something formally and persistently.

Examples:

• The charity solicited donations door to door.
• The eager students solicited votes for class president.

Cultivate

Meaning:

Cultivate means to develop something carefully over time.

Examples:

• She cultivated a strong network of mentors.
• He cultivated roses in his backyard for years.

Nurture

Meaning:

Nurture means to care for something and encourage its growth.

Examples:

• He nurtured his talent with daily practice.
• She nurtured the stray kitten back to health.

Foster

Meaning:

Foster means to encourage the development of something.

Examples:

• The new policy fosters innovation in local schools.
• Annual camping trips foster teamwork among the scouts.

Promote

Meaning:

Promote means to actively support or encourage something.

Examples:

• She was hired to promote the company’s new product line.
• The new ad campaign promoted healthy eating habits.

Advance

Meaning:

Advance means to move something forward; to make progress.

Examples:

• He advanced his career with evening classes.
• The new tools advanced the project by weeks.

Further

Meaning:

Further means to help something develop or progress.

Examples:

• The grant will further cancer research.
• The trip will further their understanding of history.

Develop

Meaning:

Develop means to grow, improve, or expand something over time.

Examples:

• She developed a deep passion for photography.
• They slowly developed a taste for spicy food.

Prosecute

Meaning:

Prosecute means to pursue someone through legal action in court.

Examples:

• The state prosecuted the company for fraud.
• The city prosecuted the landlord for safety violations.

Sue

Meaning:

Sue means to take legal action against someone.

Examples:

• He sued the landlord for breaking the lease.
• She angrily sued the driver after the accident.

Take up

Meaning:

Take up means to start doing something new, like a hobby or cause.

Examples:

• She took up painting after she retired.
• He took up jogging every morning last spring.

When to Use Which

Not every pursue synonym fits every sentence. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

• Formal writing and business: reach for endeavor, undertake, proceed with, or engage in — they sound polished and professional.
• Resumes and applications: strive for, work toward, and advance show ambition without sounding casual.
• Casual conversation: go after, keep up, chase, and follow through on feel natural and friendly.
• Essays and academic work: seek, aspire to, contend for, and foster carry real intellectual weight.
• Emotional or romantic moments: court, woo, fight for, and romance capture genuine feeling.
• Legal contexts: prosecute and sue are the precise, correct choices.
• Handle with care: stalk, harass, and hound all carry negative, aggressive connotations — perfect for describing bad behavior, terrible for describing your own goals.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best synonym for pursue in formal writing?

In formal writing, endeavor, undertake, and strive for are the strongest synonyms for pursue. They sound polished and serious without being stiff. In legal writing, prosecute is the precise term.

What is the difference between pursue and chase?

Chase usually means physically running after someone or something, while pursue is broader — it can mean chasing a person, a goal, a career, or an idea. If the action is literal and physical, chase fits; for ambitions, seek or strive for work better.

Can you use pursue for a person you like?

Yes, but court and woo are the natural synonyms for pursue in a romantic sense. Saying you “pursue” someone can sound a little intense, while court sounds charming and old-fashioned in a good way.

What is the opposite of pursue?

Common opposites include abandon, avoid, neglect, give up, and shun. If you’re dropping a goal, abandon fits best; if you’re steering clear of something unpleasant, avoid is the better word.

Is pursue a formal word?

Pursue sits in the middle — it’s neutral but leans slightly formal. In casual chat, people usually say go after or chase instead. In resumes and essays, pursue and its formal synonyms like endeavor shine.

What is a one-word synonym for “pursue your dreams”?

Chase is the most natural one-word swap — “chase your dreams” is a classic phrase. For a more serious tone, seek or strive also work beautifully.

Conclusion

Growing your vocabulary is one of the simplest ways to make your writing stand out, and now you have a whole toolkit of alternatives to a word most people overuse. Try swapping in two or three of these synonyms for pursue this week — in an email, an essay, or even a text — and notice how much sharper your sentences feel. Small word upgrades compound fast, and before long your writing will sound richer without any extra effort.