Chase vs. Hunt — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 17, 2024
Chasing involves pursuing something or someone swiftly to catch them, typically seen in brief, direct pursuits; hunting entails searching for and capturing or killing, often involving planning and patience.
Difference Between Chase and Hunt
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Chasing is characterized by rapid movement towards a target, often without premeditation, focusing on the act of pursuit in the moment, whereas hunting involves a strategic approach, including tracking and often using tools or weapons to capture or kill prey.
Chasing usually requires immediate, quick actions and is often seen in playful contexts or law enforcement, whereas hunting is methodical, can take considerable time, and is primarily associated with acquiring food or controlling animal populations.
In chasing, the pursuer directly follows the target, relying heavily on speed and stamina, whereas in hunting, the approach may include lying in wait, using bait, or setting traps, emphasizing stealth and patience over speed.
Chase scenes are common in films and urban environments, showcasing a clear and visible pursuit, while hunting typically occurs in natural settings and may involve camouflaging and minimal disturbance to the environment.
While a chase may resolve quickly, either in capture or escape, hunting might not always result in immediate success and can require several attempts or adjustments based on the behavior and patterns of the target.
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Comparison Chart
Purpose
To quickly catch or reach something
To find and capture or kill
Duration
Short, immediate
Longer, can involve extended tracking
Strategy
Direct pursuit, minimal planning
Careful planning, use of tactics
Setting
Urban or enclosed spaces
Natural environments, wide-open areas
Tools
Not necessarily required
Often uses weapons, traps, or bait
Compare with Definitions
Chase
To pursue in order to catch or catch up with.
The police officer had to chase the fleeing suspect.
Hunt
To pursue and kill (or capture) wildlife or other game.
They hunt deer in the wild for both sport and food.
Chase
To follow rapidly or urgently.
She chased after her toddler as he sprinted towards the street.
Hunt
To engage in the pursuit, capture, or killing of game.
He hunts with his father every autumn.
Chase
To try to attain or accomplish.
He is always chasing the next big opportunity.
Hunt
To search for; seek.
She hunted for her keys all morning.
Chase
To force to move or flee; drive.
The cat chased the mice out of the kitchen.
Hunt
To drive out with force or hostility.
The villagers hunted the wild boar out of their fields.
Chase
To seek the attention or affection of someone.
He spent months chasing her before she agreed to a date.
Hunt
To use hounds or other animals in pursuing game.
They used dogs to hunt the foxes.
Chase
Pursue in order to catch or catch up with
The dog chased after the stick
Police chased the stolen car through the city
Hunt
Pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food
They hunted and fished
In the autumn they hunted deer
Chase
Drive or cause to go in a specified direction
She chased him out of the house
Hunt
Search determinedly for someone or something
He desperately hunted for a new job
Chase
Try to obtain (something owed or required)
The company employs people to chase up debts
Hunt
(of a device or system) oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state
On weak stereo signals this circuit can hunt over mono and stereo in a very disconcerting manner
Chase
Engrave (metal, or a design on metal)
A miniature container with a delicately chased floral design
Hunt
(in change-ringing) move the place of a bell in a simple progression.
Chase
An act of pursuing someone or something
They captured the youths after a brief chase
Hunt
An act of hunting wild animals or game
A bear-hunt
Chase
(in letterpress printing) a metal frame for holding the composed type and blocks being printed at one time.
Hunt
A search
Police launched a hunt for the killer
Chase
A groove or furrow cut in the face of a wall or other surface to receive a pipe or wire.
Hunt
An oscillating motion about a desired speed, position, or state.
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 pursue (game) for food or sport.
Chase
To follow (game) in order to capture or kill; hunt
Chase foxes.
Hunt
To search through (an area) for prey
Hunted the ridges.
Chase
To seek the favor or company of persistently
Chased me until I agreed to a date.
Hunt
To make use of (hounds, for example) in pursuing game.
Chase
To put to flight; drive
She chased the rabbits from the garden.
Hunt
To pursue intensively so as to capture or kill
Hunted down the escaped convict.
Chase
To cause (an opposing pitcher) to be removed from a game by batting well.
Hunt
To seek out; search for.
Chase
To swing at and miss (a pitch, especially one out of the strike zone).
Hunt
To drive out forcibly, especially by harassing; chase away
Hunted the newcomers out of town.
Chase
To go or follow in pursuit
My friends and I chased after the loose dog.
Hunt
To pursue game.
Chase
(Informal) To go hurriedly; rush
Chased all over looking for us.
Hunt
To make a search; seek.
Chase
To groove; indent.
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 cut (the thread of a screw).
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 decorate (metal) by engraving or embossing.
Hunt
To oscillate about a selected value. Used of a machine, instrument, or system.
Chase
The act of chasing; pursuit
The police arrested the driver after a wild chase.
Hunt
To swing back and forth; oscillate. Used of an indicator on a display or instrument panel.
Chase
The hunting of game
The thrill of the chase.
Hunt
The act or sport of hunting
An enthusiast for the hunt.
Chase
Something that is hunted or pursued; quarry
The hunters drove their chase into the open.
Hunt
A hunting expedition or outing, usually with horses and hounds.
Chase
A privately owned, unenclosed game preserve.
Hunt
Those taking part in such an expedition or outing.
Chase
The right to hunt or keep game on the land of others.
Hunt
The hunting season for a particular animal
Last year's deer hunt.
Chase
A rectangular steel or iron frame into which pages or columns of type are locked for printing or plate making.
Hunt
A diligent search or pursuit
On a hunt for cheap gas.
Chase
A groove cut in an object; a slot
The chase for the quarrel on a crossbow.
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 trench or channel for drainpipes or wiring.
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
The cavity of a mold.
Hunt
(transitive) To drive; to chase; with down, from, away, etc.
To hunt down a criminal
He was hunted from the parish.
Chase
The act of one who chases another; a pursuit.
Hunt
(transitive) To use or manage (dogs, horses, etc.) in hunting.
Did you hunt that pony last week?
Chase
A hunt; the act of hunting; the pursuit of game.
Hunt
(transitive) To use or traverse in pursuit of game.
He hunts the woods, or the country.
Chase
(uncountable) A children's game where one player chases another.
Hunt
To move or shift the order of (a bell) in a regular course of changes.
Chase
(British) A large country estate where game may be shot or hunted.
Hunt
To shift up and down in order regularly.
Chase
Anything being chased, especially a vessel in time of war.
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
(obsolete) A wild animal that is hunted.
Hunt
The act of hunting.
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
A hunting expedition.
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
An organization devoted to hunting, or the people belonging to it.
Chase
(cycling) One or more riders who are ahead of the peloton and trying to join the race or stage leaders.
Hunt
A pack of hunting dogs.
Chase
(music) A series of brief improvised jazz solos by a number of musicians taking turns.
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
(printing) A rectangular steel or iron frame into which pages or columns of type are locked for printing or plate-making.
Hunt
To drive; to chase; - with down, from, away, etc.; as, to hunt down a criminal; he was hunted from the parish.
Chase
A groove cut in an object; a slot: the chase for the quarrel on a crossbow.
Hunt
To use or manage in the chase, as hounds.
He hunts a pack of dogs.
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 use or traverse in pursuit of game; as, he hunts the woods, or the country.
Chase
The cavity of a mold.
Hunt
To move or shift the order of (a bell) in a regular course of changes.
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 follow the chase; to go out in pursuit of game; to course with hounds.
Esau went to the field to hunt for venison.
Chase
(transitive) To pursue.
Hunt
To seek; to pursue; to search; - with for or after.
He after honor hunts, I after love.
Chase
(transitive) To follow at speed.
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
(transitive) To hunt.
Hunt
To shift up and down in order regularly.
Chase
(transitive) To seek to attain.
The team are chasing their first home win this season.
Hunt
The act or practice of chasing wild animals; chase; pursuit; search.
The hunt is up; the morn is bright and gray.
Chase
To pursue a vessel in order to destroy, capture or interrogate her.
Hunt
The game secured in the hunt.
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
A pack of hounds.
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
An association of huntsmen.
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
A district of country hunted over.
Every landowner within the hunt.
Chase
To produce enough offense to cause the pitcher to be removed.
The rally chased the starter.
Hunt
Englishman and Pre-Raphaelite painter (1827-1910)
Chase
(transitive) To groove; indent.
Hunt
United States architect (1827-1895)
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
British writer who defended the romanticism of Keats and Shelley (1784-1859)
Chase
(transitive) To cut (the thread of a screw).
Hunt
An association of huntsmen who hunt for sport
Chase
(transitive) To decorate (metal) by engraving or embossing.
Hunt
An instance of searching for something;
The hunt for submarines
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
The activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone
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
The work of finding and killing or capturing animals for food or pelts
Chase
To pursue eagerly, as hunters pursue game.
Chasing each other merrily.
Hunt
The pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
Chase
To give chase; to hunt; as, to chase around after a doctor.
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 ornament (a surface of metal) by embossing, cutting away parts, and the like.
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 cut, so as to make a screw thread.
Hunt
Chase away, with as with force;
They hunted the the unwanted immigrants out of the neighborhood
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
Yaw back and forth about a flight path;
The plane's nose yawed
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.
Hunt
Oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state to an undesirable extent;
The oscillator hunts about the correct frequency
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.
Hunt
Seek, search for;
She hunted for her reading glasses but was unable to locate them
Chase
A rectangular iron frame in which pages or columns of type are imposed.
Hunt
Search (an area) for prey;
The King used to hunt these forests
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
Cut a groove into;
Chase silver
Chase
Cut a furrow into a columns
Common Curiosities
What is the main goal of a chase?
The main goal is to quickly catch or reach something or someone.
How does hunting differ from chasing in terms of duration?
Hunting typically involves longer durations with extended periods of tracking, unlike the brief duration of a chase.
Can a chase be part of a hunt?
Yes, a chase can occur as part of a hunt, especially during the final stages of capturing prey.
What are common strategies used in hunting?
Strategies include using camouflage, setting traps, and strategic planning to capture or kill game.
What skills are essential for effective chasing?
Speed, agility, and the ability to react quickly are crucial for effective chasing.
Is special equipment needed for hunting?
Yes, hunting often requires specific equipment like weapons, traps, or camouflage gear.
What settings are typical for chases and hunts?
Chases often occur in urban or enclosed environments, while hunts typically take place in natural settings.
Are there ethical concerns associated with hunting?
Yes, hunting raises ethical concerns regarding animal welfare and conservation.
What is a common outcome of a chase?
The common outcomes are either the capture or the escape of the pursued.
Can hunting be done for reasons other than food?
Yes, hunting can also be for population control, sport, or traditional practices.
What might influence the choice between chasing and hunting in a scenario?
Factors include the intended outcome, the environment, and the characteristics of the target.
What skills are important for hunting?
Patience, strategic planning, and knowledge of the prey and environment are important for hunting.
Is hunting legally regulated?
Yes, hunting is subject to legal regulations including licenses, seasons, and types of permissible weapons.
How do cultural perceptions of chasing and hunting differ?
Cultural perceptions can vary widely, with chasing often viewed as a sport or law enforcement activity, and hunting seen either as a traditional skill or a controversial practice.
How do tools and tactics differ between chasing and hunting?
Chasing often requires minimal tools and direct tactics, whereas hunting involves various tools and indirect tactics like camouflage and baiting.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
