seek

Related to seek: Job search

hide and seek

A situation in which one party is constantly evading or avoiding another. (A reference to the children's game "hide and go seek.") Often used with the verb "play." The police have been playing hide and seek with the suspect all night long. It's been a game of hide and seek trying to get definitive answers out of the governor.
See also: and, hide, seek

seek (one's) fortune

To attempt to make a living or become rich by leaving one's home or original location. She worked as an assistant in the firm for several years before she finally left to seek her fortune as an independent contractor. I felt trapped in such a small town, where opportunities were very scarce for young people, so as soon as I turned 18, I packed up my belongings and moved to New York City to seek my fortune.
See also: fortune, seek

seek (something) from (someone or something)

To endeavor to obtain something from some person, group, organization, office, etc., especially in a formal or official capacity. Often used in passive constructions. I sought assurances from the team that the project would be completed on schedule. You'll have to seek approval from the board of directors.
See also: seek

seek a knot in a bulrush

To engage in a futile task; to try to find problems where none exist. A bulrush is a grassy plant that is not prone to knots. You'd have better luck seeking a knot in a bulrush than getting those flowers to grow on such rocky soil. I read the report so many times that the boss will be seeking a knot in a bulrush to try to find errors in it.
See also: knot, seek

seek after

To endeavor to locate or obtain someone or something. Often used in passive constructions. The political party has sought after control of parliament for years. We've been seeking after a new HR manager, but none of the candidates have been a good fit so far. The new toy is expected to be heavily sought after this holiday season.
See also: after, seek

seek and ye shall find

proverb You will find inevitably what you are looking for if you look hard enough or in the right way. A: "There are no jobs out there!" B: "No, there are plenty of jobs out there. You just need to be willing to broaden your scope a bit. Seek and ye shall find."
See also: and, find, seek, shall, ye

seek out

To hunt, seek, or try to discover someone or something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "seek" and "out." We've been seeking out locations to shoot our new film. I have to seek Sarah out to get the administrator password to the computer.
See also: out, seek

seek professional help

To request, pursue, or endeavor to obtain treatment or counseling from a psychologist or psychiatrist. At the intervention, we all urged her to seek professional help to deal with her addiction. There's no shame in seeking professional help if you think you're suffering from depression, Mike.
See also: help, professional, seek

seek revenge (against/on someone or something)

To attempt or intend to retaliate (against someone else) for a wrong done to oneself. Tiffany is always gossiping about me, so I sought revenge on her by starting a nasty rumor about her relationship with one of our teachers. I see the growth of this extremist movement as largely being citizens seeking revenge against the established government, which they feel has betrayed or abandoned them. Seeking revenge will never give you a sense of peace or closure—you'll remain just as angry as before, and it will bring suffering to someone else along with you.
See also: on, revenge, seek, someone
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

in quest of someone or something

 and in search of someone or something
seeking or hunting something; trying to find something. They went into town in quest of a reasonably priced restaurant. Monday morning I'll go out in search of a job.
See also: of, quest

*on the trail (of someone or something)

 and *on the track of someone or something
seeking someone or something; about to find someone or something. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) I'm on the trail of a new can opener that is supposed to be easier to use. I spent all morning on the track of a vendor who can meet our requirements.
See also: on, trail

seek after someone or something

to keep looking for someone or something. I will continue to seek after the thief who stole my car. The thief was seeking after a late-model sedan.
See also: after, seek

Seek and ye shall find.

Prov. If you search hard enough for something, you will find it. (Biblical. Can imply that the only thing you need to do to get something is look for it.) The bookstore on the corner is an excellent one. Any book you want, just seek and ye shall find.
See also: and, find, seek, shall, ye

seek professional help

Euph. to get psychiatric or psychological treatment. If you are seriously thinking of suicide, now is the time to seek professional help. His friends suggested that he seek professional help.
See also: help, professional, seek

seek revenge

(against someone) Go to take revenge (against someone).
See also: revenge, seek

seek someone or something out

to search for and find someone or something. We will seek someone out to do the work for us. Liz sought out a helper for Karen.
See also: out, seek

seek something from someone or something

to pursue something from someone or something. We will seek an injunction from the judge. My lawyer sought an injunction from the court to try to stop the building project.
See also: seek

take revenge (against someone)

 and seek revenge (against someone); get revenge against someone; take revenge (on someone) (for something)
to get even with someone. Linda planned to take revenge against Ellen. I intend to take revenge on Paul for what he did. I will not seek revenge.
See also: revenge, take
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

birds of a feather (flock together)

Individuals of like character, taste, or background (tend to stay together), as in The members of the club had no trouble selecting their yearly outing-they're all birds of a feather . The idea of like seeks like dates from ancient Greek times, and "Birds dwell with their kind" was quoted in the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus. The full saying in English, Birds of a feather flock together, was first recorded in 1545.
See also: bird, feather, of

play hide and seek

Evade or seem to evade someone. For example, Bill is hard to pin down-he's always playing hide and seek. This expression alludes to the children's game in which one player tries to find others who are hiding. It has been used figuratively since the mid-1600s.
See also: and, hide, play, seek
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

seek your ˈfortune

(literary) try to find a way to become rich, especially by going to another place: At the age of twenty, he decided to emigrate and seek his fortune in Canada. ▶ ˈfortune seeker noun
See also: fortune, seek
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

seek out

v.
To try to locate or discover someone or something: The fish sought out sheltered pools to lay their eggs. The teacher will only give help to those who seek it out.
See also: out, seek
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

seek and ye shall find

If you want something, look for it. This pragmatic advice dates from ancient Greek times and appears in ancient Roman and Chinese sources as well. It crops up in the Bible: “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7– 8). Despite the archaic ye, it is still current.
See also: and, find, seek, shall, ye
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • cross over
  • face off
  • face-off
  • boogie
  • boogies
  • booging
  • check out
  • check out, to
  • check something out
  • checkout
References in periodicals archive
"SEEK is pursuing an aspirational revenue opportunity of cA$5b by FY25 and we made strong progress towards this in the last 12 months.
SEEK Limited (ASX:SEK) FY19 Full Year Results
The questionnaire included points about the brief history of illness of the child in the past 6 months, the pattern of seeking consultation and treatment, and sociodemographic factors such as family size, socioeconomic status, age, education, and occupation of the parents, time taken to seek health care, and the person taking decision.
Study of health-care seeking behavior of parents for child health problems in an urban slum area of Solapur
Online outreach services among men who use the Internet to seek sex with other men (MISM) in Ontario, Canada: An online survey.
The mediating role of technology and the prevalence of sexual sensation seeking behaviours among men of varying sexual orientations in Canada, the United States, and Western Europe
Bill Duncan of New Castle has filed in District 3, the Seacoast district, Christopher Pappas of Manchester in District 4 to attempt to replace retiring Councilor Republican Raymond Wieczorek and in District 5, Nashua resident Debora Pignatelli, a former councilor, seeks to regain her seat.
State Democrats seek a rebound in 2012
If patient care tasks are unfamiliar and, therefore, non-routine, the critical care nurse will have an information need and will need to seek information to complete this patient task.
Critical care nurses' information-seeking behaviour during an unfamiliar patient care task
Ryan and Pintrich (1997) examined the factors that motivate students to seek help for difficulties in math classes and found that perceived cognitive competence was negatively correlated with avoidance of help seeking, whereas preference for extrinsic goals and perceived threat were positively correlated with an avoidance of help seeking.
The relation of masculinity and help-seeking style with the academic help-seeking behavior of college men
Those who set up a business within the Transport and Storage sector were least likely to seek advice.
Take our advice
For example, a person may be motivated to seek feedback in order to promote his or her work so that others will view him or her more favorably (Morrison and Bies, 1991).
Taking feedback-seeking to the next "level": organizational structure and feedback-seeking behavior
Why do affluent Americans seek health via their computers?
Health-seeking behavior in ethnic populations
6511 is of utmost importance in protecting the taxpayer's right to seek a civil action for a refund.
Tax on emotional damages held unconstitutional: how to protect clients in the short term
Preadolescents and adolescents who are enrolled in Medicaid and seek reproductive health services have an elevated likelihood of being abused or engaging in criminal behavior, both before and after their reproductive health visits, according to a recent cross-sectional analysis of Alaskan public health databases.
Young female Medicaid enrollees seeking reproductive health services are at risk of abuse, criminal activity
They seek far bigger profits, and an offshoot of the business has appeared: Investors and their minions are populating websites with hip graphics and nominal online tools.
The new snake-oil industry: private college admissions consultants must join with college admissions counselors and others to help families
(20) See, e.g., New York State Bar Association Tax Section, NYSBA Seeks Reconsideration of Circular 230 Rules, 2005 TAX NOTES Today 43-56 (March 3, 2005); Michael Schler, et al., Attorneys Seek Revisions to Circular 230 Based on Practical Problems, 2005 TAX NOTES TODAY 207-14 (Oct.
Circular 230: is the hysteria over?
While there are undoubtedly examples of over-zealous buyers giving in to a seller's draft agreement simply to win the deal, purchase agreements still tend to contain many of the provisions that buyers typically seek: comprehensive representations and warranties, purchase price adjustments and indemnification rights--sellers are not walking away with premium prices without standing behind their businesses.
How buyers can get an edge in middle-market deals: it's a sellers' market out there. Two attorneys argue that buyers need to avoid overpaying and focus on the markup and negotiation of the purchase agreement