hot pursuit

noun

: close and avid or intense pursuit
specifically : close continuous pursuit of a fleeing suspected lawbreaker or hostile military force especially across territorial lines

Examples of hot pursuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In an interview for the SABR Bio Project, Henley recounted the details of the fateful play: (George) Shuba shot a ball to deep right-center field, and Henley turned in hot pursuit. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024 One unusual pet has been returned to its owner after a hot pursuit caught on police camera last month. Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2024 Sometimes, the concept of hot pursuit is used to downplay incidental border incursions. Lionel Beehner, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2014 But whether the United States could invoke hot pursuit to chase militants into Syria is a different question altogether. Lionel Beehner, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2014 See all Example Sentences for hot pursuit 

Word History

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot pursuit was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near hot pursuit

Cite this Entry

“Hot pursuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20pursuit. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Legal Definition

hot pursuit

noun
hot pur·​suit
: the immediate and continuous pursuit by police officers of a fleeing suspect whose possible escape justifies the failure of the officers to obtain a warrant before making an entry, search, seizure, or arrest

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