“Seek not the favor of the multitude; it is seldom got by honest and lawful means. But seek the testimony of few; and number not voices, but weigh them.”
—Immanuel Kant (from BrainyQuote).
The past tense of “seek”
What’s the past tense of seek? Is ‘seeked‘ a word? Why is English so consistently inconsistent as a language? You’ve sought an answer, and you shall receive (what you seek…)
Seeked or sought?
The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines seek as “to ask somebody for something; to try to obtain or achieve something”.
- The past tense and past participle of seek are both sought.
- Seeked is incorrect and not a recognized word in English.
| Sentence with “seek” present tense | Sentence with “sought” past tense |
| It is best to seek a compromise rather than a perfect solution. | They sought refuge in the mountain villages. |
Verb forms of “seek”
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I seek | I sought | I will seek |
| continuous | I am seeking | I was seeking | I will be seeking |
| perfect | I have sought | I had sought | I will have sought |
| perfect continuous | I have been seeking | I had been seeking | I will have been seeking |
While “seeked” is technically incorrect, most people will likely understand what’s being said. The correct past tense (and past participle) is sought, which rhymes with brought, which is the past tense of bring. But the present tense of sought does not rhyme with bring, as does sing or ring.
Past participle vs. past tense of seek
Compare these sentences that show seek in the past tense vs. as a past participle:
Past tense: They sought refuge in the mountain villages.
Past participle: My mother had sought protection from the cold and harsh climate.
Pro Grammar Tip! You can spot a participle by checking for auxiliary verbs in the sentence, such as had/have.
Chances are, if there’s an auxiliary/helper verb (had/have) and the past participle, then it is the participle form of the verb (not the simple past or present). Since the auxiliary had is written before ‘sought‘ in the second sentence above, this indicates it is the participle form of the verb, ‘sought‘ (not the simple past).
Other irregular verbs like seek
| present | past | past participle |
| teach | taught | taught |
| buy | bought | bought |
| bring | brought | brought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| seek | sought | sought |
“Seek” / “sought”, used in sentences
| Examples: “seek“, present tense |
| We seek a place to rest. She tried to seek a solution for the problem. She fled the country and now seeks asylum in Sweden. |
| Examples: “sought“, past tenses |
| He searched long and hard, and eventually he found what he had sought. They sought in vain for somewhere to shelter. They’d sought alternatives before going with the more drastic decision. They sought refuge in the mountain villages. |
Synonyms of seek
- explore
- pursue
- chase
- follow
- investigate
- undertake
- request
- chase
- solicit
- inquire
Idioms with seek
- to seek a knot in a bulrush (to attempt a futile task)
- to play hide-and-seek (to be hiding)
- seek pastures new (to look for new and better opportunities/circumstances)
- seek revenge (to exact revenge)
Origin of the verb seek
From etymology online on seek (v..):
Middle English sēchen “go in search or quest of; strive for, try to attain,” from Old English secan, seocan “search for; pursue, chase; long for, wish for, desire; look for, expect from,” influenced by Old Norse soekja, both from Proto-Germanic *sokjanan.
Other commonly confused verbs
- What’s the past tense of spread?
- What’s the past tense of lead?
- What’s the past tense of choose?
- What’s the past tense of fly?
- What’s the past tense of lay?
- What’s the past tense of drive?
- What’s the past tense of draw?
Learn more about verbs
- What are regular and irregular verbs?
- Transitive and intransitive verbs?
- What are verbs?
- What are personal pronouns?
- What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?
- Whose vs who’s?
Sources
- Definition of seek from the Collins English Dictionary. Accessed on January 20, 2023.
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of seek.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/seek. Accessed 20 January 2023.
- “Seek.” TheFreeDictionary.com. 2023. Farlex, Inc. 20 Jan. 2023 https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/seek
