seek

seek

 (sēk)

v. sought (sôt), seek·ing, seeks

v.tr.

1. To try to locate or discover; search for: animals seeking prey.

2. To endeavor to obtain or reach: seek a college education.

3. To go to or toward: Water seeks its own level.

4. To inquire for; request: seek directions from a police officer.

5. To try; endeavor: seek to do good.

v.intr.

To make a search or investigation: Seek and you will find.

---

[Middle English sechen, seken, from Old English sēcan; see sāg- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

seek

(siːk)

vb (mainly tr) , seeks, seeking or sought

1. (when: intr, often foll by for or after) to try to find by searching; look for: to seek a solution.

2. (also intr) to try to obtain or acquire: to seek happiness.

3. to attempt (to do something); try: I'm only seeking to help.

4. (also intr) to enquire about or request (something): to seek help.

5. to go or resort to: to seek the garden for peace.

6. an archaic word for explore

[Old English sēcan; related to Old Norse sōkja, Gothic sōkjan, Old High German suohhen, Latin sāgīre to perceive by scent; see beseech]

ˈseeker n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

seek

(sik)

v. sought, seek•ing. v.t.

1. to go in search or quest of.

2. to try to discover, as by studying.

3. to try to obtain: to seek fame.

4. to try or attempt (usu. fol. by an infinitive): to seek to convince a person.

5. to ask for; request: to seek advice.

6. Archaic. to search or explore.

v.i.

7. to make inquiry.

[before 900; Middle English seken, Old English sēcan, c. Old Frisian sēka, Old Saxon sōkian, Old High German suohhen (German suchen), Old Norse sŒkja, Gothic sōkjan]

seek′er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

seek

If you seek something such as help, advice, or the solution to a problem, you try to obtain it.

I was seeking the help of someone who spoke French.

Always seek professional legal advice before entering into any agreement.

The past tense and past participle of seek is sought, not 'seeked'.

Some units and formations sought the earliest opportunity to surrender.

His views on the war were sought by the American press.

Seek is often used in writing, but you do not normally use it in conversation. Instead of saying that someone 'seeks' something, you usually say that they try to get it or try to find it.

I tried to get their support for a trade union.

They tried to find other work.

In modern English, you never say that someone seeks a person or an object. You say that they look for the person or object.

I've been looking for you all over.

I looked for it for ages before I found it.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

seek

Past participle: sought
Gerund: seeking

Imperative

seek

seek

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	seek - the movement of a read/write head to a specific data track on a disk computer science, computing - the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures motion, movement - a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something
Verb	1.	seek - try to get or reach; "seek a position"; "seek an education"; "seek happiness" desire, want - feel or have a desire for; want strongly; "I want to go home now"; "I want my own room" bid - make a serious effort to attain something; "His campaign bid for the attention of the poor population" quest - make a search (for); "Things that die with their eyes open and questing"; "The animal came questing through the forest"
	2.	seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the missing man in the entire county" look for, search dredge, drag - search (as the bottom of a body of water) for something valuable or lost finger - search for on the computer; "I fingered my boss and found that he is not logged on in the afternoons" fumble, grope - feel about uncertainly or blindly; "She groped for her glasses in the darkness of the bedroom" divine - search by divining, as if with a rod; "He claimed he could divine underground water" surf, browse - look around casually and randomly, without seeking anything in particular; "browse a computer directory"; "surf the internet or the world wide web" leave no stone unturned - search thoroughly and exhaustively; "The police left no stone unturned in looking for the President's murderer" hunt - seek, search for; "She hunted for her reading glasses but was unable to locate them" gather - look for (food) in nature; "Our ancestors gathered nuts in the Fall" want - hunt or look for; want for a particular reason; "Your former neighbor is wanted by the FBI"; "Uncle Sam wants you" scour - examine minutely; "The police scoured the country for the fugitive" seek out - look for a specific person or thing quest after, quest for, go after, pursue - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" fish, angle - seek indirectly; "fish for compliments" grub - search about busily feel - grope or feel in search of something; "He felt for his wallet" browse, shop - shop around; not necessarily buying; "I don't need help, I'm just browsing"
	3.	seek - make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world" attempt, essay, try, assay pick up the gauntlet, take a dare - be dared to do something and attempt it act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" struggle, fight - make a strenuous or labored effort; "She struggled for years to survive without welfare"; "He fought for breath" have a go, give it a try - make an attempt at something; "I never sat on a horse before but I'll give it a go" grope - search blindly or uncertainly; "His mind groped to make the connection" endeavor, endeavour, strive - attempt by employing effort; "we endeavor to make our customers happy" give it a try, give it a whirl - try; "let's give it a whirl!" adventure, gamble, run a risk, take a chance, take chances, risk, chance, hazard - take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome; "When you buy these stocks you are gambling" lay on the line, put on the line, risk - expose to a chance of loss or damage; "We risked losing a lot of money in this venture"; "Why risk your life?"; "She laid her job on the line when she told the boss that he was wrong"
	4.	seek - go to or towards; "a liquid seeks its own level" go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
	5.	seek - inquire for; "seek directions from a local" request - inquire for (information); "I requested information from the secretary"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

seek

verb

1. look for, pursue, search for, be after, hunt, go in search of, go in pursuit of, go gunning for, go in quest of They have had to seek work as labourers.

2. request, invite, ask for, petition, plead for, solicit, beg for, petition for The couple have sought help from marriage guidance counsellors.

3. try, attempt, aim, strive, endeavour, essay, aspire to, have a go at (informal) He also denied that he would seek to annex the country.

Quotations
"Seek, and ye shall find" Bible: St. Matthew

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

seek

verb

1. To try to find something:

cast about, hunt, look, quest, search.

2. To strive toward a goal:

aim, aspire.

Idiom: set one's sights on.

3. To endeavor to obtain (something) by expressing one's needs or desires:

ask (for), request, solicit.

4. To make an attempt to do or make:

assay, attempt, endeavor, essay, strive, try.

Idioms: have a go at, have a shot at, have a whack at, make a stab at, take a crack at.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

بحثيَبْحَثُ عَنيَبْحَثُ عَنْيُحاوِل

hledatsnažit se

søgeprøve

suchentrachten

αναζητώγυρεύωζητώ

serĉi

buscarintentarpedirpretendersolicitar

etsiä

chercherprierrecherchertâcher de

tražiti

kereskutattörekszik

cari

leita eftir/aîreyna

cercarechiedere

捜す

찾다

quaerere

graibstomas

censtiesmēģinātmeklēttiekties

nastrevenzoeken

letesøke

poszukać

procurar

искать

iskati

sökasträva efter

หา

aramakuğraşmak

tìm kiếm

寻求企图

seek

[siːk] (sought (pt, pp))

A. VT

1. (= look for) [+ work, refuge] → buscar; [+ candidate] → solicitar; [+ honour] → ambicionar
he has been sought in many countries → se le ha buscado en muchos países
it is much sought after → está muy cotizado
to seek death → buscar la muerte
the reason is not far to seek → no es difícil indicar la causa
to seek shelter (from) → buscar abrigo (de)

2. (= ask for) → pedir, solicitar
to seek advice from sb → pedir consejo a algn
the couple sought a second opinion → la pareja quiso tener una segunda opinión

3. (frm) (= attempt) to seek to do sth → tratar de or procurar hacer algo

B. VI (frm) to seek after or for → buscar

seek out VT + ADV → buscar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

seek

[ˈsiːk] [sought] (pt, pp) vt

(= try to find) [+ work, refuge, route] → chercher

(= ask for) [+ help, advice] → demander
to seek advice from sb → demander conseil à qn
to seek help from sb → demander de l'aide à qn

(= try to get) [+ funding, compensation] → chercher à obtenir

(= attempt) to seek to do sth → chercher à faire qch

seek out

vt sep [+ person, opportunities] → chercher

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

seek

pret, ptp <sought>

vt

(= look for) → suchen; fame, wealth → erlangen wollen, streben nach; to seek somebody’s advice → jdn um Rat fragen; the prosecutors are seeking the death penalty → die Staatsanwaltschaft will die Todesstrafe; the reason is not far to seek → der Grund liegt auf der Hand; the quarrel is not of my seeking → ich habe den Streit nicht gesucht; seek time (Comput) → Zugriffszeit f

(liter: = attempt) → suchen (geh); to seek to do something → sich bemühen, etw zu tun; those who sought his downfall → die(jenigen), die ihn zu Fall bringen wollten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

seek

[siːk] (sought (pt, pp))

1. vt (gen) to seek (sth/to do sth) → cercare (qc/di fare qc)
to seek shelter (from) → cercar riparo (da)
to seek one's fortune → cercar fortuna
to seek advice/help from sb → chiedere consiglio/aiuto a qn

2. vi to seek after, seek for → cercare

seek out vt + adv (person) → andare a cercare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

seek

(siːk) – past tense, past participle sought (soːt) – verb

1. (sometimes with for) to try to find, get or achieve. He is seeking (for) an answer; You should seek your lawyer's advice; She's seeking fame in the world of television. wil hê يَبْحَثُ عَن търся buscar (vy)hledat suchen søge ψάχνω για κτ., αναζητώ, επιζητώbuscar otsima جستجو كردن etsiä tâcher de לְחַפֵּש ढूंढ़ना tražiti, potražiti keres mencari leita eftir/að cercare; chiedere 求める 구하다, 추구하다 ieškoti meklēt; tiekties; censties mencari zoeken søke/lete etter szukać, poszukiwać لټول، غوښتل، پلټل، هڅه كول، درسيدو كوښښ كول: غوښتنه كول، خواست كول: پسې كېدل: كوښښ كول، ازمويل buscar a-şi da silinţa; a căuta искать; просить; добиваться (vy)hľadať iskati tragati söka ค้นหา aramak 尋求 шукати, розшукувати کسی چیز کی جستجو کرنا tìm, tìm kiếm 寻求

2. to try. These men are seeking to destroy the government. wil doen يُحاوِل опитвам се tentar snažit se trachten prøve επιδιώκω, επιζητώtratar de, intentar püüdma سعي كردن yrittää chercher à לְנַסוֹת मांगना pokušati, nastojati vmire törekszik berusaha reyna cercare ～しようとする 노리다 siekti mēģināt mencuba trachtenforsøke, prøvestarać się كوښښ كول tentar a încerca пытаться snažiť sa poskušati pokušati söka, försöka, sträva efter พยายาม uğraşmak 試圖 намагатися; прагнути کوشش کرنا cố gắng đạt được 企图

sought after

wanted; asked for. This book is much sought after; a much sought-after book. gesogte مَطْلوب много търсен procurado vyhledávaný begehrt efterspurgt περιζήτητοςbuscado nõutud طلب كردن kysytty très recherché מבוקש लोकप्रिय tražen keresett menginginkan eftirsóttur richiesto, ricercato 人気がある 수요가 있는, 인기 있는 populiarus, graibstomas meklēts; pieprasīts dicari-cari gezocht ettertraktet/-spurt poszukiwany خواست كول procurado căutat, cerut популярный vyhľadávaný iskan tražen eftersökt, efterfrågad เป็นที่เสาะหากันมาก aranan 競相網羅的，廣受歡迎的，吃香的 популярний; дефіцитний مطلوب được tìm kiếm 很吃香的，广受欢迎的

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

seek

→ يَبْحَثُ عَنْ hledat søge suchen γυρεύω buscar etsiä chercher tražiti cercare 捜す 찾다 nastreven lete poszukać procurar искать sträva efter หา aramak tìm kiếm 寻求

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

seek

vt buscar; to seek medical attention.. buscar atención médica..acudir al médico

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.