pursue vs stalk

pursue

verb
  • To follow, travel down (a particular way, course of action etc.). 

  • To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase. 

  • To aim for, go after (a specified objective, situation etc.). 

  • To participate in (an activity, business etc.); to practise, follow (a profession). 

  • To act as a legal prosecutor. 

stalk

verb
  • To walk haughtily. 

  • To (try to) follow or contact someone constantly, often resulting in harassment.ᵂᵖ 

  • To walk behind something, such as a screen, for the purpose of approaching game; to proceed under cover. 

  • To walk slowly and cautiously; to walk in a stealthy, noiseless manner. 

  • To approach slowly and quietly in order not to be discovered when getting closer. 

noun
  • The stem or main axis of a plant, which supports the seed-carrying parts. 

  • An iron bar with projections inserted in a core to strengthen it; a core arbor. 

  • The petiole, pedicel, or peduncle of a plant. 

  • One of the two upright pieces of a ladder. 

  • A stem or peduncle, as in certain barnacles and crinoids. 

  • A particular episode of trying to follow or contact someone. 

  • The narrow basal portion of the abdomen of a hymenopterous insect. 

  • The peduncle of the eyes of decapod crustaceans. 

  • The hunting of a wild animal by stealthy approach. 

  • An ornament in the Corinthian capital resembling the stalk of a plant, from which the volutes and helices spring. 

  • Something resembling the stalk of a plant, such as the stem of a quill. 

  • A haughty style of walking. 

How often have the words pursue and stalk occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )