seek

seek S2 W1 AC /siːk/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle sought /sɔːt $ sɒːt/) [transitive]
[Word Family: verb: ↑seek; noun: ↑seeker]
[Language: Old English; Origin: secan]
1. formal to try to achieve or get something:
Do you think the President will seek re-election?
seek refuge/asylum/shelter etc
Thousands of people crossed the border, seeking refuge from the war.
seek revenge/damages/compensation etc
He sought revenge against Surkov for separating him from his wife and son.
seek to do something
Local schools are seeking to reduce the dropout rate.
attention-seeking/publicity-seeking
2. seek (sb’s) advice/help/assistance etc formal to ask someone for advice or help:
If the symptoms persist, seek medical advice.
3. written to look for someone or something SYN look for:
new graduates seeking employment
Attractive woman, 27, seeks male, 25-35, for fun and friendship.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that they are looking for someone or something rather than seeking someone or something:
▪ What kind of job are you looking for?
4. seek your fortune literary to go to another place hoping to gain success and wealth:
Coles came to the Yukon in the 1970s to seek his fortune.
5. to move naturally towards something or into a particular position:
Water seeks its own level.
⇨ ↑heat-seeking, ↑hide-and-seek, ↑self-seeking, ↑sought-after
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ nouns
▪ seek help He sought help from the police.
▪ seek advice/information If in any doubt, seek the advice of a senior officer.
▪ seek support/approval He said he would seek shareholder support for the proposal.
▪ seek permission They are seeking permission to build 200 new houses.
▪ seek refuge/asylum/shelter (=try to find somewhere safe) They sought refuge inside the castle.
▪ seek election/re-election (=try to be elected or re-elected) He hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election.
▪ seek compensation/damages (=ask for money because of something bad you have suffered) The other two may seek compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
▪ seek revenge Dafoe plays a computer mastermind who seeks revenge on his former employer.
■ adverbs
▪ actively The university is actively seeking new funds.
▪ desperately They ran in all directions, desperately seeking escape.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ search to look carefully for someone or something: Detectives continue to search for clues. | She searched through all his clothes.
▪ look for somebody/something to try to get someone or something you want or need: I’m looking for something to wear for my sister’s wedding. | The band is looking for a singer. | He’s decided to look for a new career.
▪ try to find somebody/something used especially when someone or something is difficult to find: I spent half an hour trying to find a parking space. | She was in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat that wasn’t raw carrot.
▪ seek formal to try to find something or someone. Used especially about jobs, help, or information. Also used in newspaper advertisements when trying to find a suitable person: They went there seeking work. | She decided to seek help. | Tall blond 18-year-old male seeks female 17+ for friendship.
▪ hunt to look for someone or something. Used when you look very carefully and thoroughly, or in the phrase house/job/bargain hunting: I’ve hunted everywhere, but I can’t find a recipe for French onion soup. | She’s gone out bargain-hunting in the sales.
▪ be on the lookout for somebody/something to be continuously looking for someone or something: I’m always on the lookout for a good bargain.
▪ leave no stone unturned to look for someone or something in every possible place: The police say they will leave no stone unturned in their search for the killer.
seek somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
to try to find someone or something, especially when this is difficult:
Our mission is to seek out the enemy and destroy them.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seek

seek AW [seek seeks sought seeking] [siːk] [siːk] verb (sought, sought [sɔːt] ; [sɔːt] )(formal)
1. transitive, intransitive to look for sth/sb
• ~ sth/sb Drivers are advised to seek alternative routes.

• ~ for sth/sb (BrE) They sought in vain for somewhere to shelter.

2. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) to try to obtain or achieve sth
• to seek funding for a project
• Highly qualified secretary seeks employment. (= in an advertisement)
• He intends to seek custody of the children.

• We are currently seeking new ways of expanding our membership.

3. transitive to ask sb for sth
• ~ sth I think it's time we sought legal advice.

• ~ sth from sb She managed to calm him down and seek help from a neighbour.

4. intransitive ~ to do sth to try to do sth
Syn: attempt

• They quickly sought to distance themselves from the protesters.

5. -seeking (in adjectives and nouns) looking for or trying to get the thing mentioned; the activity of doing this
• attention-seeking behaviour
• Voluntary work can provide a framework for job-seeking.
see also heat-seeking, self-seeking
see also hide-and-seek
Idiom: seek your fortune
Derived: seek somebody out
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English sēcan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zieken and German suchen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sagire ‘perceive by scent’.
Thesaurus:
seek verb
1. T, I (formal)
• Police are seeking witnesses.
look • • search • • hunt • |written cast around/about for sth •
seek/look/search/hunt for sth
seek/look for/search for/cast around for a/an alternative/way
police/detectives seek/look for/search for/hunt sb/sth
2. T, I (formal)
• She is seeking work in the charity sector.
go after sth • |formal pursue •
seek/go after a job
actively/successfully seek/pursue sth
be currently seeking/pursuing sth
3. T (formal)
• She sought help from a neighbour.
ask • • appeal • • apply • • claim • • demand • |formal request • |especially journalism call for sth •
seek/ask for/appeal for/claim/request/call for sth from sb
formally seek/ask for/apply for/claim/request/call for sth
Example Bank:
• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.
• Jobs in Paris are highly sought after.
• The developer is currently seeking funding for the project.
• They initially sought to blame others for the disaster.
• We sought in vain for a solution.
• We're seeking for alternative materials which might bring the cost down.
• people who are unemployed and actively seeking work
• the answers she sought in those books
• Employers are seeking further clarification of the proposals.
• He admired her ability to seek out bargains.
• He encouraged governments to adopt a more forceful approach in seeking to improve the environment.
• I advise you to seek assistance from the police.
• I think you should seek guidance from your lawyer on this matter.
• It is best to seek a compromise rather than a perfect solution.
• Lawyers are seeking an out-of-court settlement.
• Police are seeking witnesses to the accident.
• She fled the country and is now seeking asylum in Sweden.
• The police are seeking independent confirmation of certain details of the story.
• The research project will seek to find an answer to this question.
• The state has actively sought to develop tourism.
• They are now seeking endorsement for their ideas.
• They sought comfort in each other.
• They sought refuge in the mountain villages.

• To receive the benefit, you have to be actively seeking work.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seek / siːk / verb ( sought , sought ) formal (SEARCH)

B2 [ T ] to try to find or get something, especially something that is not a physical object:

"Are you actively seeking jobs?" she asked.

Hundreds of dissidents are seeking refuge/asylum in the US embassy.

B2 [ T ] to ask for advice, help, approval, permission, etc.:

Legal advice should be sought before you take any further action.

-seeking / -ɪŋ / suffix

A lot of bad behaviour is attention -seeking on the part of mixed-up kids.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

seek

[si͟ːk]

seeks, seeking, sought
1) VERB If you seek something such as a job or a place to live, you try to find one. [FORMAL]
  [V n] They have had to seek work as labourers...
  [V n] Four people who sought refuge in the Italian embassy have left voluntarily...
  [be V-ed for n] Candidates are urgently sought for the post of Conservative party chairman.
2) VERB When someone seeks something, they try to obtain it. [FORMAL]
  [V n] The prosecutors have warned they will seek the death penalty...
  [V n] Haemophiliacs are seeking compensation for being given contaminated blood.
3) VERB If you seek someone's help or advice, you contact them in order to ask for it. [FORMAL]
  [V n] Always seek professional legal advice before entering into any agreement...
  [V n] On important issues, they seek a second opinion...
  [V n from n] The couple have sought help from marriage guidance counsellors.
4) VERB If you seek to do something, you try to do it. [FORMAL]
  [V to-inf] He also denied that he would seek to annex the country...
  [V to-inf] Moscow is seeking to slow the growth of Russian inflation.
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - seek out

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seek

seek /ˈsiːk/ verb seeks; sought /ˈsɑːt/; seek·ing [+ obj] somewhat formal
1 : to search for (someone or something) : to try to find (someone or something)
• He is seeking employment. [=he is looking for a job]
• The office is seeking a salesperson.
• The prince is seeking a wife.
• Snakes seek the sun to warm their bodies.
• thrill-seeking travelers [=travelers who want to have very exciting/thrilling experiences]
2 : to ask for (help, advice, etc.)
• You should visit your doctor and seek his advice.
• You should seek medical help immediately if you experience any chest pain or shortness of breath.
• The church is seeking donations/volunteers.
3 a : to try to get or achieve (something)
• He sought revenge for his son's murder.
• During the war, she sought asylum in Spain.
• They sought refuge in Canada.
• The company is seeking new ways to improve service.
• The mayor is seeking reelection.
• She seeks perfection in her work.
• attention-seeking behavior
• Immigrants come to America to seek their fortune. [=to try to become rich]
• They are seeking compensation/damages [=they are trying to get money] for their loss.
b : to make an attempt to do something
• Doctors have been seeking [=trying] to find a cure.
• The builders sought to make the bridge stronger.
seek out [phrasal verb] seek (someone or something) out or seek out (someone or something) : to search for and find (someone or something)
• His parents sought out the best doctors in the field.
• White blood cells seek out and destroy infections.