Thesaurus results for PURSUIT

Q: How does the noun 'pursuit' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pursuit are business , calling , employment , métier , occupation , and work . While all these words mean "a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living," pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest. // her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit

Q: When is 'business' a more appropriate choice than 'pursuit'?

While in some cases nearly identical to pursuit , business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs. // the business of managing a hotel

Q: When might 'calling' be a better fit than 'pursuit'?

The meanings of calling and pursuit largely overlap; however, calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession. // the ministry seemed my true calling

Q: When is it sensible to use 'employment' instead of 'pursuit'?

The words employment and pursuit can be used in similar contexts, but employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer. // your employment with this firm is hereby terminated

Q: When would 'métier' be a good substitute for 'pursuit'?

The synonyms métier and pursuit are sometimes interchangeable, but métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted. // acting was my one and only métier

Q: In what contexts can 'occupation' take the place of 'pursuit'?

While the synonyms occupation and pursuit are close in meaning, occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training. // his occupation as a trained auto mechanic

Q: When can 'work' be used instead of 'pursuit'?

Although the words work and pursuit have much in common, work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not. // her work as a hospital volunteer

pursuit

noun

pər-ˈsüt

Definition of pursuit

as in tracking

the act of going after or in the tracks of another the cat ran down the street with a pair of dogs in pursuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in hobby

an activity outside of one's regular occupation that is engaged in primarily for pleasure a workaholic with few pursuits outside of the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun pursuit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pursuit are business, calling, employment, métier, occupation, and work. While all these words mean "a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living," pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest.

her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit

When is business a more appropriate choice than pursuit?

While in some cases nearly identical to pursuit, business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs.

the business of managing a hotel

When might calling be a better fit than pursuit?

The meanings of calling and pursuit largely overlap; however, calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession.

the ministry seemed my true calling

When is it sensible to use employment instead of pursuit?

The words employment and pursuit can be used in similar contexts, but employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer.

your employment with this firm is hereby terminated

When would métier be a good substitute for pursuit?

The synonyms métier and pursuit are sometimes interchangeable, but métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted.

acting was my one and only métier

In what contexts can occupation take the place of pursuit?

While the synonyms occupation and pursuit are close in meaning, occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training.

his occupation as a trained auto mechanic

When can work be used instead of pursuit?

Although the words work and pursuit have much in common, work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not.

her work as a hospital volunteer

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pursuit The pursuit ended when the boy crashed the e-moto into a police car, the release said. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 For Mudge, the bigger concern is whether Rwanda’s pursuit of international recognition will overshadow the country’s human rights record and undermine efforts to improve it. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026 The suspect was spotted in a white pickup with Oklahoma license plates leading CHP officers in the pursuit on Interstate 80, according to law enforcement dispatch audio recordings reviewed by The Sacramento Bee. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 His pursuits in sports primarily shifted to hockey from there. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pursuit

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pursuit

Noun

Political advertising spending for this year surpassed $10 billion in October, marking an all-time high, according to media tracking group AdImpact, driven by record spending in states such as Ohio, Texas, and Maine.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2026
Modeling Without Watching If tracking every individual’s data isn’t reliable anymore, the industry’s answer shouldn’t be to fix tracking, but to stop depending on it.

— Ivan Guzenko, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of tracking

Noun

Cleaning graves grew in popularity during the pandemic The trend was particularly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as people searched for safe hobbies, finding connections over death during a pandemic.

— Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
His hobbies consist of playing video games and golf with some of his teammates from the Red Bulls, but soccer is never far from his mind.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of hobby

Noun

That's a six-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores, paired with a five-core GPU that also supports ray tracing.

— Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
The researchers assessed more than 15,000 data points across corporate governance, supply-chain tracing, supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental sustainability.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of tracing

Noun

There's also a huge range of northern lights tours available, from small-group photography excursions to longer aurora-chasing adventures.

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The trunk-rattling track oozes bold proclamations about bag chasing, love at first sight, and cruising past his adversaries.

— Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of chasing

Noun

According to its governing body, the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA), which was founded in 2000, Nordic walking is now practised in over 40 countries for health, fitness, recreation, social connection, and competitive sport.

— Lola Akinmade, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
Each ring has roughly 800 diamonds and a recreation of the world's most famous arena.

— Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of recreation

Noun

Unlike in fields where avocations have to replace callings, academic retirees go on to pen as many articles and books as decline permits.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
As Sottile sees it, the dog-show economy thrives on dog lovers’ sense of avocation.

— Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of avocation

Browse Nearby Words

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pursuit

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Style

“Pursuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pursuit. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pursuit

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