I. ˈchās noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French chace, from chacer
Date: 13th century
1.
a. : the hunting of wild animals — used with the
b. : the act of chasing : pursuit
c. : an earnest or frenzied seeking after something desired
2. : something pursued : quarry
3. : a tract of unenclosed land used as a game preserve
4. : steeplechase 1
5. : a sequence (as in a movie) in which the characters pursue one another
II. verb
( chased ; chas·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French chacer, from Vulgar Latin * captiare — more at catch
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to follow rapidly : pursue
b. : hunt
c. : to follow regularly or persistently with the intention of attracting or alluring
2. obsolete : harass
3. : to seek out — often used with down
detectives chasing down clues
4. : to cause to depart or flee : drive
chase the dog out of the garden
5. : to cause the removal of (a baseball pitcher) by a batting rally
6. : to swing at (a baseball pitched out of the strike zone)
intransitive verb
1. : to chase an animal, person, or thing
chase after material possessions
2. : rush , hasten
chased all over town looking for a place to stay
Synonyms:
chase , pursue , follow , trail mean to go after or on the track of something or someone. chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running
a dog chasing a cat
pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain
pursued the criminal through narrow streets
follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake
friends followed me home in their car
trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object
trail deer
trailed a suspect across the country
III. transitive verb
( chased ; chas·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, modification of Anglo-French enchaser to set
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : to ornament (metal) by indenting with a hammer and tools without a cutting edge
b. : to make by such indentation
c. : to set with gems
2.
a. : groove , indent
b. : to cut (a thread) with a chaser
IV. noun
Etymology: French chas eye of a needle, from Late Latin capsus enclosed space, alteration of Latin capsa box — more at case
Date: 1611
1. : groove , furrow
2. : the bore of a cannon
3.
a. : trench
b. : a channel (as in a wall) for something to lie in or pass through
V. noun
Etymology: probably from French châsse frame, reliquary, from Middle French chasse, from Latin capsa
Date: 1612
: a rectangular steel or iron frame in which letterpress matter is locked (as for printing)