pursuant

pursuant — adjective

1. used in the fixed phrase 'pursuant to' to mean that something is done in a way t

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

used in the fixed phrase 'pursuant to' to mean that something is done in a way that follows and agrees with a law, rule, contract, or official decision.

Example

Anjali submitted her financial report pursuant to the judge's order.

active: submit [documents] + pursuant to + [legal order]

Pursuant to city rules, Sari could not build a fence over four feet tall.

fronted phrase: Pursuant to [regulation] restricting action

Common collocations
  • pursuant to a contract
  • pursuant to an agreement
  • pursuant to the law
  • pursuant to regulations
  • pursuant to an order
  • pursuant to a statute
  • pursuant to the terms
  • pursuant to a provision
Synonyms
  • in accordance with

    equally formal and interchangeable in most legal/regulatory contexts; slightly less fixed-phrase-dependent

  • under

    shorter and less formal; common in legal contexts ('under the terms of the contract') but also used in everyday language

  • as per

    common in business correspondence; slightly less formal than 'pursuant to' but still professional

  • in compliance with

    stresses the idea of obeying a rule or standard; more explicitly about meeting requirements

Antonyms
  • in violation of

    indicates the opposite: acting against a law or rule

  • contrary to

    suggests an action goes against what is stated or expected

Grammar Patterns

pursuant to + [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Frequently used only in the fixed phrase 'pursuant to', which functions like a preposition. Almost always appears in formal, legal, or official writing rather than everyday speech. Pronunciation: UK /pəˈsjuːənt/, US /pərˈsuːənt/.

Common Mistakes

The payment was made pursuant the contract.
The payment was made pursuant to the contract.
'pursuant' requires 'to' in standard usage; omitting 'to' is ungrammatical.
Pursuant the thief, the officer ran down the street.
Pursuing the thief, the officer ran down the street.
'pursuant' means 'in accordance with,' not 'in pursuit of'; these are different words with different meanings.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four phrases express the idea of following a rule, law, or agreement, but they differ in register and scope. 'Pursuant to' is the most formal and is almost exclusively used in legal and official documents. 'In accordance with' is equally formal but slightly more flexible — it works in legal, academic, and procedural writing. 'Under' is shorter and more versatile; it appears in legal contexts ('under the terms') but also in everyday use ('under the new policy'). 'As per' is common in business emails and memo-style writing but can sound too casual for legal filings. 'In compliance with' emphasizes meeting a standard or requirement, often used in regulatory and auditing contexts. For example, a lawyer might write 'pursuant to the court order' in a filing, but say 'under the new rules' in a conversation with a client.

in accordance with ↗under ↗as perin compliance with

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Middle English 'pursuiaunt', from Anglo-French 'pursuant' (present participle of 'pursure' — to pursue). The original meaning was 'following after' or 'pursuing'. By the 1600s, English legal writers had shifted the sense to 'following in accordance with' in the fixed phrase 'pursuant to', where the idea of physically chasing something became an abstract idea of conforming to a rule or order.