Basic Details
Word: Pursuer
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person or animal that is chasing someone or something.
Synonyms: chaser, hunter, tracker
Word origin: From pursue, which comes from Anglo-Norman French pursuer, to follow.
How to Spell Pursuer
Syllables: pur - su - er
Tricky part: It starts pur, not per, and keeps the ue of pursue before the r. Students write persuer or pursuar.
Watch out for: persuer, pursuar, pursuor
Memory tip: Pursue + r = pursuer. Write the verb pursue in full, then add just one letter.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The deer leapt over the stream and left its pursuer behind.
Example 2: In the story, the thief climbed onto a roof to escape his pursuers.
Example 3: The cheetah is a fast pursuer but tires after a short sprint.
Fun Fact
In Scottish law, the person who brings a civil case to court is called the pursuer, where English law would say the claimant.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt one:
1. fugitive 2. ambush 3. persuer 4. constable
a) a surprise attack from a hidden place
b) a police officer of the lowest rank
c) a person running away from capture
d) a person who chases someone
Show answer
d) a person who chases someone. The word for a chaser is built on pursue, which starts with pur, so persuer is the misspelt one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word pursuer as used in the sentence:
The pickpocket kept glancing over his shoulder at his pursuer as he ran through the market.
a) victim
b) guard
c) chaser
d) leader
Show answer
c) chaser. A pursuer is the one doing the chasing, so chaser has the same meaning.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The fox finally lost its rserpuu by diving into a thick hedge.
a) pursuer
b) purser
c) persuader
d) pursued
Show answer
a) pursuer. Pursued ends in d and purser lacks a u; persuader is far too long, so these seven letters make pursuer.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a chase, the pursuer is the one who ____.
a) stops the race
b) runs away to escape
c) watches from the side
d) follows and tries to catch
Show answer
d) follows and tries to catch
2. Pursuer is formed from the verb ____.
a) pursue
b) persuade
c) purse
d) pursuit
Show answer
a) pursue
