Seek means to try to find something or someone; to attempt to do or achieve something; or to ask for something. Its past tense and past participle is sought. Example: She sought advice from her teacher about how to improve her writing.
What Does Seek Mean?
Seek comes from Old English sēcan, related to Old High German suohhen and Gothic sokjan, all from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to try to find" or "to search". The irregular past form sought reflects a vowel-change pattern (ablaut) inherited from Old English strong verbs — the same pattern seen in teach / taught and think / thought.
In modern British English, seek carries a formal or literary register. In everyday spoken English, people generally prefer look for, try to find, or ask for. However, in writing — journalism, academic prose, legal texts, and official communications — seek and its collocations are extremely common and expected. Mastering this word will immediately lift the quality of your formal writing.
The verb has three closely related meanings. First, to look for something or someone physically: rescue teams sought survivors in the rubble. Second, to try to obtain or achieve something more abstract: the company sought to expand into new markets. Third, to ask for something, especially advice, help, or permission: she sought guidance from her mentor. All three uses appear at B1–C1 level and are worth knowing.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| I am seeking a new job in London. | A2 — present continuous, everyday context |
| She sought advice from her teacher about how to improve her writing. | B1 — past tense (sought), academic context |
| The organisation seeks to provide free meals for children in need. | B1 — seek + infinitive, institutional subject |
| After the accident, he sought medical attention immediately. | B2 — formal collocation, past narrative |
| The researchers sought to establish a causal link between diet and cognitive decline. | C1 — academic register, seek + infinitive with complex object |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| seek advice | You should seek advice from a qualified solicitor. |
| seek help | Many people are afraid to seek help when they need it. |
| seek asylum | Thousands of people seek asylum in the UK every year. |
| seek permission | The developer sought permission to build on the green belt. |
| seek refuge | Families fled the conflict and sought refuge across the border. |
| seek employment | The charity helps young people seek employment after leaving care. |
| seek justice | The victim's family is seeking justice through the courts. |
| seek clarification | Please seek clarification from your line manager if you are unsure. |
| seek approval | The new policy will seek approval from the board next month. |
| seek to do something | The report seeks to identify the root causes of the problem. |
Usage Notes
Using Seek Correctly
- Seek + noun: seek advice, seek help, seek permission. This is the most common pattern in formal writing.
- Seek + to-infinitive: seek to improve, seek to understand, seek to establish. Use this pattern when describing an attempt to do something.
- Seek is formal. In informal speech, use look for (things), ask for (advice/help), or try to (actions) instead.
- Irregular forms: seek — sought — sought. Use sought as both past simple and past participle: She has sought help many times.
- Much-sought-after is a fixed compound adjective meaning greatly desired: a much-sought-after qualification.
- Hide and seek — the children's game — uses the older sense of seek as a pure physical search.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She seeked help from her manager. (seeked is not a word)
She sought help from her manager. (irregular past: sought)
They are seeking for a solution. (no "for" after seek)
They are seeking a solution. (seek takes a direct object, no preposition)
He sought to finding a better route. (gerund after to-infinitive)
He sought to find a better route. (seek + to + bare infinitive)