v. chased, chas·ing, chas·es v. tr. 1. To follow rapidly in order to catch or overtake; pursue: The police officers chased the thief. The dog chased the cat across the yard. 2. To follow (game) in order to capture or kill; hunt: chase foxes. 3. To seek the favor or company of persistently: chased me until I agreed to a date. 4. To put to flight; drive: She chased the rabbits from the garden. 5. Baseball a. To cause (an opposing pitcher) to be removed from a game by batting well. b. To swing at and miss (a pitch, especially one out of the strike zone). v. intr. 1. To go or follow in pursuit: My friends and I chased after the loose dog. 2. Informal To go hurriedly; rush: chased all over looking for us. n. Idioms: 1. The act of chasing; pursuit: The police arrested the driver after a wild chase. 2. a. The hunting of game: the thrill of the chase. b. Something that is hunted or pursued; quarry: The hunters drove their chase into the open. 3. Chiefly British a. A privately owned, unenclosed game preserve. b. The right to hunt or keep game on the land of others. chase (one's) tail To exert oneself vigorously but ineffectually. give chase To engage in pursuit of quarry: Police gave chase to the speeding car. [Middle English chasen, to hunt, from Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin *captiāre, from Latin captāre, to catch; see CATCH.] |
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