Pronunciation

/treɪs/

Definitions

• Noun: 1. The act of following a path or track, especially in order to find something or someone. “The detective traced the suspect’s footsteps to the crime scene.” 2. A series of steps taken to investigate or follow a particular line of inquiry. “A genealogist traced her family tree back several generations.” 3. (informal) A line left on a surface by moving something across it, often with a pen or pencil. “The ink traces on the paper showed where the pen had been moved.”
• Verb: 1. To follow the course or path of something, usually a physical trail or a logical sequence. “He traced the outline of the object with his finger.”

2. To locate or determine the origin or whereabouts of something or someone. “They traced the missing package to the post office.”
3. (figurative) To connect or link ideas or events in a logical manner. “Her writing traced a narrative arc from innocence to experience.”

Phrases

• “Trace a route” means to map out a path or direction.
• “Trace back” implies looking for the history or origin of something.
• “Track down” is a colloquial way to say “trace” when finding someone or something.

Example Sentences

• Noun: “The archaeologist traced the ancient pottery fragments to a nearby dig site.”
• Verb: “After several calls, they were able to trace the phone number to a suspect.”
• Verb: “He traced the steps of his great-grandfather’s journey across the country.”

Synonyms

• Follow
• Pursue
• Investigate
• Locate
• Map out
• Trace back
• Trace the origin of