Chase vs. Hunt: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on September 26, 2023
Chase involves pursuing rapidly to catch or overtake, while hunt entails seeking out through tracking or search, usually for animals or game.
Key Differences
Chase and hunt, while seemingly similar, have nuanced differences, emphasizing different aspects of pursuit. Chase usually involves the act of pursuing something or someone rapidly in order to catch or overtake it, often with the sense of immediacy and direct pursuit, where the object or person being chased is within sight or knowledge. Conversely, hunt suggests a careful, prolonged search or pursuit, predominantly used to describe the seeking out of animals or game, which may not always be within immediate sight or knowledge and may require tracking, patience, and strategy.
The essence of immediate pursuit in chase contrasts with the extended, patient seeking inherent in hunt. When one chases, there is generally a clear, visible target that one is trying to catch quickly, such as a police officer chasing a suspect. On the other hand, hunting often involves searching for, tracking, and then pursuing the target, like hunting deer in the woods, which may not be immediately visible and may require extensive effort and time to locate and capture.
Chase and hunt are employed in varying contexts, with chase often being used in everyday situations and urban contexts, illustrating pursuits of varied natures, like chasing deadlines. Hunt, however, is more specialized, often depicting the pursuit of wildlife or searching for something elusive, implying more meticulousness and calculation in the pursuit, such as hunting for treasure or hunting for food in a survival situation.
The intentions behind a chase and a hunt can also vary. Chases are often reactive and spontaneous, motivated by a sudden impulse or requirement to apprehend or reach someone or something swiftly. In contrast, hunts are often premeditated and deliberate, involving planning, preparation, and a clear objective or desire to find and acquire the pursued object or creature.
Comparison Chart
Nature of Pursuit
Rapid, immediate pursuit.
Prolonged, careful search and pursuit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Visibility of Target
Target is usually in sight.
Target may not be immediately visible.
Contexts
More general, used in various situations.
More specialized, often related to wildlife or elusive targets.
Duration and Effort
Typically shorter and more direct.
Typically longer, involving tracking and patience.
Intentions
Reactive and spontaneous.
Premeditated, planned, and deliberate.
Chase and Hunt Definitions
Chase
Chase can refer to an area reserved for a specific purpose.
The school has a large chase for outdoor activities.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hunt
Hunt means to pursue for food or sport.
They used to hunt deer in the forests.
Chase
Chase can mean to pursue persistently and eagerly.
He is on a chase to secure a promotion this year.
Hunt
Hunt can refer to a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something.
They are on a hunt for the lost treasure.
Chase
Chase implies trying to expel or drive away.
They had to chase the intruders off the property.
Hunt
Hunt also can mean to drive or chase, especially in forcing a game from cover.
The dogs were used to hunt the foxes out of their dens.
Chase
Chase can also describe the act of working the face of a building.
The architect decided to chase the facade with intricate designs.
Hunt
To pursue (game) for food or sport.
Chase
To follow rapidly in order to catch or overtake; pursue
The police officers chased the thief. The dog chased the cat across the yard.
Hunt
To search through (an area) for prey
Hunted the ridges.
Chase
To follow (game) in order to capture or kill; hunt
Chase foxes.
Hunt
To make use of (hounds, for example) in pursuing game.
Chase
To seek the favor or company of persistently
Chased me until I agreed to a date.
Hunt
To pursue intensively so as to capture or kill
Hunted down the escaped convict.
Chase
To put to flight; drive
She chased the rabbits from the garden.
Hunt
To seek out; search for.
Chase
To cause (an opposing pitcher) to be removed from a game by batting well.
Hunt
To drive out forcibly, especially by harassing; chase away
Hunted the newcomers out of town.
Chase
To swing at and miss (a pitch, especially one out of the strike zone).
Hunt
To pursue game.
Chase
To go or follow in pursuit
My friends and I chased after the loose dog.
Hunt
To make a search; seek.
Chase
(Informal) To go hurriedly; rush
Chased all over looking for us.
Hunt
To yaw back and forth about a flight path, as if seeking a new direction or another angle of attack. Used of an aircraft, rocket, or space vehicle.
Chase
To groove; indent.
Hunt
To rotate up and down or back and forth without being deflected by the pilot. Used of a control surface or a rocket motor in gimbals.
Chase
To cut (the thread of a screw).
Hunt
To oscillate about a selected value. Used of a machine, instrument, or system.
Chase
To decorate (metal) by engraving or embossing.
Hunt
To swing back and forth; oscillate. Used of an indicator on a display or instrument panel.
Chase
The act of chasing; pursuit
The police arrested the driver after a wild chase.
Hunt
The act or sport of hunting
An enthusiast for the hunt.
Chase
The hunting of game
The thrill of the chase.
Hunt
A hunting expedition or outing, usually with horses and hounds.
Chase
Something that is hunted or pursued; quarry
The hunters drove their chase into the open.
Hunt
Those taking part in such an expedition or outing.
Chase
A privately owned, unenclosed game preserve.
Hunt
The hunting season for a particular animal
Last year's deer hunt.
Chase
The right to hunt or keep game on the land of others.
Hunt
A diligent search or pursuit
On a hunt for cheap gas.
Chase
A rectangular steel or iron frame into which pages or columns of type are locked for printing or plate making.
Hunt
(ambitransitive) To find or search for an animal in the wild with the intention of killing the animal for its meat or for sport.
State Wildlife Management areas often offer licensed hunters the opportunity to hunt on public lands.
Her uncle will go out and hunt for deer, now that it is open season.
Chase
A groove cut in an object; a slot
The chase for the quarrel on a crossbow.
Hunt
(ambitransitive) To try to find something; search (for).
The little girl was hunting for shells on the beach.
The police are hunting for evidence.
Chase
A trench or channel for drainpipes or wiring.
Hunt
(transitive) To drive; to chase; with down, from, away, etc.
To hunt down a criminal
He was hunted from the parish.
Chase
The part of a gun in front of the trunnions.
Hunt
(transitive) To use or manage (dogs, horses, etc.) in hunting.
Did you hunt that pony last week?
Chase
The cavity of a mold.
Hunt
(transitive) To use or traverse in pursuit of game.
He hunts the woods, or the country.
Chase
The act of one who chases another; a pursuit.
Hunt
To move or shift the order of (a bell) in a regular course of changes.
Chase
A hunt; the act of hunting; the pursuit of game.
Hunt
To shift up and down in order regularly.
Chase
(uncountable) A children's game where one player chases another.
Hunt
To be in a state of instability of movement or forced oscillation, as a governor which has a large movement of the balls for small change of load, an arc-lamp clutch mechanism which moves rapidly up and down with variations of current, etc.; also, to seesaw, as a pair of alternators working in parallel.
Chase
(British) A large country estate where game may be shot or hunted.
Hunt
The act of hunting.
Chase
Anything being chased, especially a vessel in time of war.
Hunt
A hunting expedition.
Chase
(obsolete) A wild animal that is hunted.
Hunt
An organization devoted to hunting, or the people belonging to it.
Chase
(nautical) Any of the guns that fire directly ahead or astern; either a bow chase or stern chase.
Hunt
A pack of hunting dogs.
Chase
(real tennis) The occurrence of a second bounce by the ball in certain areas of the court, giving the server the chance, later in the game, to "play off" the chase from the receiving end and possibly win the point.
Hunt
To search for or follow after, as game or wild animals; to chase; to pursue for the purpose of catching or killing; to follow with dogs or guns for sport or exercise; as, to hunt a deer.
Like a dog, he hunts in dreams.
Chase
(real tennis) A division of the floor of a gallery, marked by a figure or otherwise; the spot where a ball falls, and between which and the dedans the adversary must drive the ball in order to gain a point.
Hunt
To search diligently after; to seek; to pursue; to follow; - often with out or up; as, to hunt up the facts; to hunt out evidence.
Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
Chase
(cycling) One or more riders who are ahead of the peloton and trying to join the race or stage leaders.
Hunt
To drive; to chase; - with down, from, away, etc.; as, to hunt down a criminal; he was hunted from the parish.
Chase
(music) A series of brief improvised jazz solos by a number of musicians taking turns.
Hunt
To use or manage in the chase, as hounds.
He hunts a pack of dogs.
Chase
(printing) A rectangular steel or iron frame into which pages or columns of type are locked for printing or plate-making.
Hunt
To use or traverse in pursuit of game; as, he hunts the woods, or the country.
Chase
A groove cut in an object; a slot: the chase for the quarrel on a crossbow.
Hunt
To move or shift the order of (a bell) in a regular course of changes.
Chase
(architecture) A trench or channel or other encasement structure for encasing (archaically spelled enchasing) drainpipes or wiring; a hollow space in the wall of a building encasing ventilation ducts, chimney flues, wires, cables or plumbing.
Hunt
To follow the chase; to go out in pursuit of game; to course with hounds.
Esau went to the field to hunt for venison.
Chase
The part of a gun in front of the trunnions.
Hunt
To seek; to pursue; to search; - with for or after.
He after honor hunts, I after love.
Chase
The cavity of a mold.
Hunt
To be in a state of instability of movement or forced oscillation, as a governor which has a large movement of the balls for small change of load, an arc-lamp clutch mechanism which moves rapidly up and down with variations of current, or the like; also, to seesaw, as a pair of alternators working in parallel.
Chase
(shipbuilding) A kind of joint by which an overlap joint is changed to a flush joint by means of a gradually deepening rabbet, as at the ends of clinker-built boats.
Hunt
To shift up and down in order regularly.
Chase
(transitive) To pursue.
Hunt
The act or practice of chasing wild animals; chase; pursuit; search.
The hunt is up; the morn is bright and gray.
Chase
(transitive) To follow at speed.
Hunt
The game secured in the hunt.
Chase
(transitive) To hunt.
Hunt
A pack of hounds.
Chase
(transitive) To seek to attain.
The team are chasing their first home win this season.
Hunt
An association of huntsmen.
Chase
(transitive) To seek the company of (a member of the opposite sex) in an obvious way.
He spends all his free time chasing girls.
Hunt
A district of country hunted over.
Every landowner within the hunt.
Chase
To pursue a vessel in order to destroy, capture or interrogate her.
Hunt
Englishman and Pre-Raphaelite painter (1827-1910)
Chase
(transitive) To consume another beverage immediately after drinking hard liquor, typically something better tasting or less harsh such as soda or beer; to use a drink as a chaser.
I need something to chase this shot with.
Hunt
United States architect (1827-1895)
Chase
To attempt to win by scoring the required number of runs in the final innings.
Australia will be chasing 217 for victory on the final day.
Hunt
British writer who defended the romanticism of Keats and Shelley (1784-1859)
Chase
To swing at a pitch outside of the strike zone, typically an outside pitch.
Jones chases one out of the zone for strike two.
Hunt
An association of huntsmen who hunt for sport
Chase
To produce enough offense to cause the pitcher to be removed.
The rally chased the starter.
Hunt
An instance of searching for something;
The hunt for submarines
Chase
(transitive) To groove; indent.
Hunt
The activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone
Chase
(transitive) To place piping or wiring in a groove encased within a wall or floor, or in a hidden space encased by a wall.
Chase the pipe
Hunt
The work of finding and killing or capturing animals for food or pelts
Chase
(transitive) To cut (the thread of a screw).
Hunt
The pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
Chase
(transitive) To decorate (metal) by engraving or embossing.
Hunt
Pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals);
Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland
The dogs are running deer
The Duke hunted in these woods
Chase
To pursue for the purpose of killing or taking, as an enemy, or game; to hunt.
We are those which chased you from the field.
Philologists, who chaseA panting syllable through time and place.
Hunt
Pursue or chase relentlessly;
The hunters traced the deer into the woods
The detectives hounded the suspect until they found the him
Chase
To follow as if to catch; to pursue; to compel to move on; to drive by following; to cause to fly; - often with away or off; as, to chase the hens away.
Chased by their brother's endless malice from prince to prince and from place to place.
Hunt
Chase away, with as with force;
They hunted the the unwanted immigrants out of the neighborhood
Chase
To pursue eagerly, as hunters pursue game.
Chasing each other merrily.
Hunt
Yaw back and forth about a flight path;
The plane's nose yawed
Chase
To give chase; to hunt; as, to chase around after a doctor.
Hunt
Oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state to an undesirable extent;
The oscillator hunts about the correct frequency
Chase
To ornament (a surface of metal) by embossing, cutting away parts, and the like.
Hunt
Seek, search for;
She hunted for her reading glasses but was unable to locate them
Chase
To cut, so as to make a screw thread.
Hunt
Search (an area) for prey;
The King used to hunt these forests
Chase
Vehement pursuit for the purpose of killing or capturing, as of an enemy, or game; an earnest seeking after any object greatly desired; the act or habit of hunting; a hunt.
You see this chase is hotly followed.
Hunt
Hunt implies seeking with eagerness or effort.
The journalist is on a hunt for the latest scoop.
Chase
That which is pursued or hunted.
Nay, Warwick, seek thee out some other chase,For I myself must hunt this deer to death.
Hunt
Hunt can describe the oscillation of a machine part about a point.
The engineer was concerned about the excessive hunt of the rotor.
Chase
An open hunting ground to which game resorts, and which is private properly, thus differing from a forest, which is not private property, and from a park, which is inclosed. Sometimes written chace.
Chase
A division of the floor of a gallery, marked by a figure or otherwise; the spot where a ball falls, and between which and the dedans the adversary must drive his ball in order to gain a point.
Chase
A rectangular iron frame in which pages or columns of type are imposed.
Chase
The part of a cannon from the reënforce or the trunnions to the swell of the muzzle. See Cannon.
Chase
A groove, or channel, as in the face of a wall; a trench, as for the reception of drain tile.
Chase
A kind of joint by which an overlap joint is changed to a flush joint, by means of a gradually deepening rabbet, as at the ends of clinker-built boats.
Chase
The act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture;
The culprit started to run and the cop took off in pursuit
Chase
Go after with the intent to catch;
The policeman chased the mugger down the alley
The dog chased the rabbit
Chase
Pursue someone sexually or romantically
Chase
Cut a groove into;
Chase silver
Chase
Cut a furrow into a columns
Chase
Chase means to pursue in order to catch or overtake.
The cat loves to chase after the laser pointer.
FAQs
Does chase always involve rapid pursuit?
Yes, chase typically involves rapid and immediate pursuit to catch or overtake.
Can chase be used to describe pursuing goals?
Yes, chase can metaphorically describe pursuing goals or aspirations, like chasing a dream.
Does a chase require the target to be visible?
Typically, in a chase, the target is in sight or the direction is known, emphasizing immediate pursuit.
Is hunting exclusive to pursuing animals?
While often used to describe pursuing animals, hunt can also mean searching or pursuing any elusive or desired object or goal.
Is hunt always a prolonged process?
Hunt often entails a prolonged and careful search and pursuit, usually involving tracking and patience.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
