(followed by `to') in conformance to or agreement with
"pursuant to our agreement"
"pursuant to the dictates of one's conscience"
In conformance to, or in agreement with.
"The committee proceeded pursuant to the new regulations established last month."
In plain English: Pursuant means something that happens because of a specific rule or agreement.
"The contract was drafted pursuant to the new state regulations."
Usage: Use pursuant only before nouns like to, as in pursuant to the rules. Avoid using it interchangeably with synonyms like according to unless you are writing formal legal documents where this specific phrasing is required.
Accordingly; consequently.
"Pursuant to our recent agreement, we will be implementing the new safety protocols starting next Monday."
In plain English: Pursuant means following or according to something that was already decided or written down.
"The committee acted pursuant to the new rules."
Pursuant comes from the Anglo-French word pursuant, which is a form of pursure meaning "to follow." It entered English as a doublet of pursuivant, sharing its root in the act of following or pursuing someone.