pur ‧ suit AC /pəˈsjuːt $ pərˈsuːt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ pursuer , ↑ pursuit ; verb : ↑ pursue ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: poursuite , from poursuir ; ⇨ ↑ pursue ]
1 . [uncountable] when someone tries to get, achieve, or find something in a determined way ⇨ pursue
pursuit of
the pursuit of liberty and happiness
the pursuit of war criminals
in (the) pursuit of something
People are having to move to other areas in pursuit of work.
2 . [uncountable] when someone chases or follows someone else ⇨ pursue
in pursuit
There were four police cars in pursuit.
The quarterback sprinted toward the end zone with Jansen in hot pursuit (=following closely behind) .
3 . [countable usually plural] formal an activity such as a sport or ↑ hobby , which you spend a lot of time doing:
pursuits such as swimming and tennis
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THESAURUS
▪ hobby an activity that you enjoy, and that you like to spend time doing when you are not working:
Stamp collecting has been a hobby of mine since I was a child.
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We had to write an essay about our hobbies.
▪ interest something that you are interested in and like doing or talking about:
Her interests were the same as most young girls – pop music, boys and clothes.
▪ pastime especially written something that you do because it is enjoyable or interesting:
Gardening was her mother's favourite pastime.
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In England talking about the weather is a national pastime (=something that a lot of people in a country do) .
▪ passion something that you feel extremely interested in and care a lot about:
Football was his passion.
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For the French, food is a passion.
▪ pursuit formal an activity that you spend time doing – used especially in the following phrases:
The hills and lakes are used for a variety of outdoor pursuits.
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Her son wasn't really interested in academic pursuits.
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Mountaineering, golfing, and fishing were among his leisure pursuits