ferret out

Idioms and Phrases

Uncover and bring to light by searching, as in Sandy was a superb reporter, tireless in ferreting out whatever facts were needed for her story . This expression alludes to hunting with ferrets, weasel-like animals formerly used to drive rabbits out of their burrows. [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

What I saw was a careful and ingenious reporter ferret out a fraud with care.

From The Daily Beast

That alone provides a powerful incentive for civil society to try to ferret out the numbers.

From The Daily Beast

Lots of people at SAC work extremely hard to ferret out good investing ideas.

From The Daily Beast

The investigation, he said, would ferret out government responsibility for the tragedy.

From The Daily Beast

Even foreign journalists inside the city have struggled to ferret out information.

From The Daily Beast

A soldier is not a conjurer that he should be handed over a fully laden ship and told to ferret out a fuse key.

From Project Gutenberg

We cannot even begin to ferret out and discuss all the psychological problems that are concealed behind these bland tables.

From Project Gutenberg

Positively the only way to detect such fictitious allowances for damages, is to ferret out each case by itself.

From Project Gutenberg

Leaving detachments to ferret out prisoners from the deeper dug-outs, the French made for the second line.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Bassett said that his colleague could not always adhere to the principle that it was his duty to ferret out every error.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ascertain
• bring to light
• drive out
• get at
• sniff out
• uncover
• unearth