Go After

1. When you do your best to get something no matter how difficult it is.

Examples: Michael Phelps trained hard everyday because he was going after the gold medal.
I went after first place in the local 5k run last week, but wasn’t quite fast enough.

2. When law enforcers try to catch someone who has committed a crime.

Examples: The police are really going after the heads of big gangs.
The FBI has gone after some of the world’s toughest criminals.

3. When you chase someone or something.

Examples: Our little puppy has been going after the ball since this morning.
The cat went after the bird, but wasn’t able to catch it.

4. When a company attempts to multiply their number of customers via a competitive strategy.

Examples: Facebook is trying to go after a younger audience by buying companies like Instagram.
Google has gone after customers in nearly every market in the world.

See our complete list of English phrasal verbs.