sought

[sawt] /sɔt/
verb
1.
simple past tense and past participle of seek.
Related forms
self-sought, adjective
unsought, adjective

seek

[seek] /sik/
verb (used with object), sought, seeking.
1.
to go in search or quest of:
to seek the truth.
2.
to try to find or discover by searching or questioning:
to seek the solution to a problem.
3.
to try to obtain:
to seek fame.
4.
to try or attempt (usually followed by an infinitive):
to seek to convince a person.
5.
to go to:
to seek a place to rest.
6.
to ask for; request:
to seek advice.
7.
Archaic. to search or explore.
verb (used without object), sought, seeking.
8.
to make inquiry.
Idioms
9.
be sought after, to be desired or in demand:
Graduates in the physical sciences are most sought after by employers these days.
Origin
before 900; Middle English seken, Old English sēcan; cognate with German suchen, Old Norse sœkja, Gothic sōkjan; akin to Latin sāgīre to perceive by scent (see presage, sagacity); cf. beseech
Related forms
outseek, verb (used with object), outsought, outseeking.
reseek, verb (used with object), resought, reseeking.
unseeking, adjective
Synonyms
3. pursue, follow.
Examples from the web for sought
  • You'll find the same seclusion the stars sought on this typically uncrowded stretch.
  • Gays sought the right not to be discriminated against in the workplace.
  • They sought the right not to be treated differently in the military.
  • Not long ago, a major public research university sought a new president to follow its revered and nationally known leader.
  • In my five years in elementary education, some of my students and their parents sought my help for various personal challenges.
  • When she sued, alleging violations of her free-speech and due-process rights, she sought the degree in education.
  • Affluent quilt-makers sought the finest of these calicoes and chintzes to sew into lavish bedcovers.
  • Automats, moreover, always sought to offer the widest possible variety of culinary choices.
  • Other climbers sought challenge in climbing techniques.
  • With such wild stories about the origins of spices, it was no wonder that they were so expensive and sought-after.
British Dictionary definitions for sought

sought

/sɔːt/
verb
1.
the past tense and past participle of seek

seek

/siːk/
verb (mainly transitive) seeks, seeking, sought
1.
when intr, often foll by for or after. to try to find by searching; look for: to seek a solution
2.
(also intransitive) to try to obtain or acquire: to seek happiness
3.
to attempt (to do something); try: I'm only seeking to help
4.
(also intransitive) 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
Derived Forms
seeker, noun
Word Origin
Old English sēcan; related to Old Norse sōkja, Gothic sōkjan, Old High German suohhen, Latin sāgīre to perceive by scent; see beseech
Word Origin and History for sought

past tense and past participle of seek, from Old English sohte. Sought-after is from 1881 (sought-for in same sense is from c.1600).

seek

v.

Old English secan "inquire, search for; pursue; long for, wish for, desire; look for, expect from," influenced by Old Norse soekja, both from Proto-Germanic *sokjan (cf. Old Saxon sokian, Old Frisian seka, Middle Dutch soekan, Old High German suohhan, German suchen, Gothic sokjan), from PIE *sag-yo-, from root *sag- "to track down, seek out" (cf. Latin sagire "to perceive quickly or keenly," sagus "presaging, predicting," Old Irish saigim "seek"). The natural modern form of the Anglo-Saxon word as uninfluenced by Norse is in beseech. Related: Sought; seeking.

Idioms and Phrases with sought

seek

see: play hide and seek