Go after meaning
Go after means to follow or chase someone to catch them or talk to them. It can also mean to try to get something, like a job or a goal.
go after somebody
go after · went · gone · going
The police went after the thief.
Go after meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
-
1
Follow or chase someone to catch them or talk to them
go after somebody
- The police went after the thief.
- She left the room upset, so I went after her.
- Don’t go after him. He needs some time.
-
2
Try to get something, like a job or a goal
go after somebody or something
- She’s going after the manager’s job.
- You should go after what you really want.
- The company is going after younger customers.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use go after in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is go after separable?
Go after is not separable. The person or thing comes after it: go after the thief, go after him.
Go after is mostly informal and spoken. In writing, chase (meaning 1) and pursue (meaning 2) are more usual.
Verb tenses for go after
| Present | I go after · she goes after |
|---|---|
| Past | went after |
| Present perfect | have gone after |
| -ing form | going after |
Common mistakes with go after
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The dog went after to the cat.
Right: The dog went after the cat.
No to after go after.
Wrong: She ran out, so I went her after.
Right: She ran out, so I went after her.
Go after is not separable. The pronoun goes after after.
Wrong: Can you go after my cat while I’m away?
Right: Can you look after my cat while I’m away?
Look after means take care of.
Synonyms and opposites of go after
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- chaserun after someone, often fast
- followgo behind someone, maybe slowly
- go fortry hard to get or win something
Opposite
- run awayleave quickly to escape
- give up onstop trying to get something
Go after quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
-
1A man grabbed her bag, and two people ___ him.
Go after means chase.
-
2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes after after, with no to.
-
3Lena really wants to be head chef. She’s ___ the job.
Go after can mean try to get something.
More phrasal verbs with go
All phrasal verbs with go, by level, with an exercise
16 phrasal verbs start with go. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- go outA1leave your home to do something fun
- go backA1return to a place where you were before
- go inA2enter a room or a building
- go intoA2enter a place
- go onB1continue, or last for a period of time
- go awayB1leave a person or a place
- go downB1become lower, like a price, a number or a temperature
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- go forB1choose something
- go withB1look or taste good together with something
- go offB2start ringing loudly, like an alarm, or explode, like a bomb
- go throughB2live through a difficult or unpleasant time
- go overB2check something carefully, looking for mistakes
- go aroundB2be enough for everyone in a group to have some
- go aheadB2start or continue doing something you planned
Go after FAQ
Questions people ask about go after.
Is go after the same as chase?
Very close. Chase sounds faster. Go after can also mean walk after someone to talk to them: She was upset, so I went after her.
What does go after your dreams mean?
It means try hard to get what you really want in life. It is close to go for it.
What is the past tense of go after?
Went after, and the past participle is gone after: The police have gone after them.
Use go after in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.