trace

verb

/treɪs/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they trace	/treɪs/ /treɪs/
he / she / it traces	/ˈtreɪsɪz/ /ˈtreɪsɪz/
past simple traced	/treɪst/ /treɪst/
past participle traced	/treɪst/ /treɪst/
-ing form tracing	/ˈtreɪsɪŋ/ /ˈtreɪsɪŋ/

jump to other results

trace somebody/something (to something) to find or discover somebody/something by looking carefully for them/it synonym track down
- We finally traced him to an address in Chicago.
- I have been unable to trace the letter you mentioned.
Extra Examples
- The stolen paintings have been successfully traced to a London warehouse.
- Police are anxious to trace the owners of a car parked near the scene.
Topics Crime and punishmentb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- successfully
verb + trace
- be able to
- be unable to
- can
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
trace something (back) (to something) to find the origin or cause of something
- She could trace her family tree back to the 16th century.
- The leak was eventually traced to a broken seal.
- The police traced the call (= used special electronic equipment to find out who made the phone call) to her ex-husband's number.
Extra Examples
- The origins of the custom are difficult to trace.
- Words have over the centuries acquired meanings not easily traced in dictionaries.
Topics Phones, email and the internetb2, Family and relationshipsb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- carefully
- easily
- directly
- …
verb + trace
- can
- attempt to
- try to
- …
preposition
- to
See full entry
trace something (from something) (to something) to describe a process or the development of something
- Her book traces the town's history from Saxon times to the present day.
trace something (out) to draw a line or lines on a surface
- She traced a line in the sand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- gently
- lightly
- slowly
- …
preposition
- with
See full entry
trace something to follow the shape or outline of something
- He traced the route on the map.
- A tear traced a path down her cheek.
- She lightly traced the outline of his face with her finger.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- gently
- lightly
- slowly
- …
preposition
- with
See full entry
trace something to copy a map, drawing, etc. by drawing on tracing paper (= paper that you can see through) placed over it
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- gently
- lightly
- slowly
- …
preposition
- with
See full entry

Word Originverb Middle English (first recorded as a noun in the sense ‘path that someone or something takes’): from Old French trace (noun), tracier (verb), based on Latin tractus ‘drawing, draught’, from trahere ‘draw, pull’.

trace

noun

OPAL S

/treɪs/

Idioms

jump to other results

[countable, uncountable] a mark, an object or a sign that shows that somebody/something existed or was present
- It's exciting to discover traces of earlier civilizations.
- Police searched the area but found no trace of the escaped prisoners.
- Years of living in England had eliminated all trace of her American accent.
- without (a) trace The ship had vanished without (a) trace.
Extra Examples
- Little trace is left of how Stone Age people lived.
- The burglar had left several traces of his presence.
- Traces still remain of the long-defunct Surrey Iron Railway.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- archaeological
- historical
- indelible
- …
verb + trace
- leave
- bear
- reveal
- …
trace + verb
- remain
preposition
- with a trace of something
- without a trace of something
- without trace
- …
See full entry
[countable] trace of something a very small amount of something
- The post-mortem revealed traces of poison in his stomach.
- She spoke without a trace of bitterness.
Extra Examples
- The police found traces of blood in the bathroom.
- The water was found to contain traces of cocaine.
- Remove all traces of rust with a small wire brush.
- There was no trace of humour in his expression.
- There was not the faintest trace of irony in her voice.
- There was no trace of a smile on his face.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- discernible
- faint
- minute
- …
verb + trace
- contain
- detect
- find
- …
trace + noun
- amount
- element
- gas
- …
preposition
- trace of
See full entry
[countable] (specialist) a line or pattern on paper or a screen that shows information that is found by a machine
- The trace showed a normal heart rhythm.
[countable] trace on somebody/something a search to find out information about the identity of somebody/something, especially what number a phone call was made from
- The police ran a trace on the call.
- Detectives are doing a trace on the vehicle.
[countable, usually plural] one of the two long pieces of leather that fasten a carriage or cart to the horse that pulls it

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 Middle English (first recorded as a noun in the sense ‘path that someone or something takes’): from Old French trace (noun), tracier (verb), based on Latin tractus ‘drawing, draught’, from trahere ‘draw, pull’. noun sense 4 Middle English (denoting a pair of traces): from Old French trais, plural of trait, from Latin tractus ‘drawing, draught’, from trahere ‘draw, pull’.

Idioms

kick over the traces

(British English, old-fashioned) to start to behave badly and refuse to accept any discipline or control