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Practise vs Pursue - What's the difference?

practise | pursue |

As verbs the difference between practise and pursue

is that practise is to repeat as a way of improving one's skill in that activity while pursue is to follow with harmful intent; to try to harm, to persecute, torment.

practise

English

Alternative forms

* practice (standard for noun but incorrect for verb outside US; almost universal for both in American English)

Verb

(practis)
  • (transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To repeat as a way of improving one's skill in that activity.
    • You should practise playing piano every day.
  • (intransitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To repeat an activity in this way.
    • If you want to speak French well, you need to practise .
  • (transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To perform or observe in a habitual fashion.
    • They gather to practise religion every Saturday.
  • (transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To pursue (a career, especially law, fine art or medicine).
    • She practised law for forty years before retiring.
  • (intransitive, obsolete, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To conspire.
  • To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Aught but Talbot's shadow whereon to practise your severity.''
  • * Alexander Pope
    • As this advice ye practise or neglect.
  • To make use of; to employ.
  • * Massinger
    • In malice to this good knight's wife, I practised Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her.
  • To teach or accustom by practice; to train.
  • * Landor
    • In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practised to love their neighbour.

    Usage notes

    * In sense "to repeat an activity as a way improving one's skill" this is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) . See

    Derived terms

    * practised * practising

    Related terms

    * practic * practicable * practical * practice * practitioner

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    *

    pursue

    English

    Verb

    (pursu)
  • (obsolete) To follow with harmful intent; to try to harm, to persecute, torment.
  • To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.
  • * Wyclif Bible, John xv. 20
    • The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have pursued' me, they shall ' pursue you also.
  • * 2009 , Martin Chulov, ‘Iraqi shoe-thrower claims he suffered torture in jail’, The Guardian , 15 Sep 09:
    • He now feared for his life, and believed US intelligence agents would pursue him.
  • To follow, travel down (a particular way, course of action etc.).
    • Her rival pursued a quite different course.
  • To aim for, go after (a specified objective, situation etc.).
  • * 2009 , Benjamin Pogrund, ‘Freeze won't hurt Netanyahu’, The Guardian , 1 Dec 09:
    • He even stands to gain in world terms: his noisy critics strengthen his projected image of a man determined to pursue peace with Palestinians.
  • To participate in (an activity, business etc.); to practise, follow (a profession).

    • See also

    * follow * chase