pursues

Pursues is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb pursue. It denotes the action of following someone or something with the aim of catching, securing, or attaining, or of striving to achieve a goal. In modern English, pursue is transitive and typically requires a direct object, as in “The detective pursues the suspect” or “The company pursues new markets.” The form pursues is used with third-person singular subjects such as he, she, or an organization; for other subjects, different tense forms are used (pursue, pursuing, pursued).

Etymology: The verb derives from Old French poursuivre, which itself comes from Latin persequi, meaning to follow closely. The sense of sustained, purposeful effort toward an objective developed in the course of English usage.

Usage notes: Pursues can convey determination and active effort and appear across domains such as law, business, science, sports, and personal development. Common collocations include pursue a degree, pursue legal action, pursue leads, and pursue happiness (the latter often as an idiom rather than a literal plan). The related noun pursuit refers to the act of pursuing or to a field of endeavor as in “academic pursuits.”

See also: pursuit; pursuing; pursued.