ferret

[ fer-it ]

/ ˈfɛr ɪt /

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See synonyms for: ferret / ferreted / ferreting / ferreter on Thesaurus.com

noun

a domesticated, usually red-eyed, and albinic variety of the polecat, used in Europe for driving rabbits and rats from their burrows.

black-footed ferret.

verb (used with object)

to drive out by using or as if using a ferret (often followed by out): to ferret rabbits from their burrows; to ferret out enemies.

to hunt with ferrets.

to hunt over with ferrets: to ferret a field.

to search out, discover, or bring to light (often followed by out): to ferret out the facts.

to harry, worry, or torment: His problems ferreted him day and night.

verb (used without object)

to search about.

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Origin of ferret

1350–1400; Middle English fer(r)et(te), fyret, furet<Middle French furet<Vulgar Latin *furittus, equivalent to fūr thief (<Latin ) + -ittus-et

OTHER WORDS FROM ferret

fer·ret·er, nounfer·ret·y, adjectiveun·fer·ret·ed, adjectiveun·fer·ret·ing, adjective

Words nearby ferret

ferredoxin, Ferrein's pyramid, Ferrel's law, ferreous, Ferrero, ferret, ferret badger, ferret out, ferri-, ferriage, ferric

Definition for ferret (2 of 2)

ferret²

[ fer-it ]

/ ˈfɛr ɪt /

noun

a narrow tape or ribbon, as of silk or cotton, used for binding, trimming, etc.

Origin of ferret

1570–80; alteration of Italian fioretto floss silk, literally, little flower, equivalent to fior(e) (<Latin flōrem;see flower) + -etto-et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for ferret

A small population of the ferrets was discovered in Wyoming in the 1980s, and skin biopsies from several of them were sent to San Diego’s Frozen Zoo, where they went into a deep-freeze for over 30 years.
The First Endangered American Animal Has Been Cloned|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|February 19, 2021|Singularity Hub
In each cage, the ferrets who received the placebo contracted the virus, and the ferrets who received the treatment did not contract the virus.
The CDC released a COVID-19 test knowing it had a high failure rate|Rachael Zisk|November 9, 2020|Popular Science
Infected ferrets — an animal commonly used to study influenza because ferrets exhibit similar symptoms as people — can also get sick and pass the virus to other ferrets.
4 reasons not to worry about that ‘new’ swine flu in the news|Erin Garcia de Jesus|July 2, 2020|Science News
Ferret is a carefully chosen comparison, implying diligence but absolutely no imagination.
Sherlock Holmes Vs. Jack the Ripper|Clive Irving|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

What I saw was a careful and ingenious reporter ferret out a fraud with care.
Pressuring Journalists Won’t Protect Transgender People|James Kirchick|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That alone provides a powerful incentive for civil society to try to ferret out the numbers.
U.S. Drone Program Needs to Be Accompanied by Hard Facts on Civilian Deaths|Daniel Klaidman|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They were used to ferret rebel fighters out of their strongholds.
When Liberals Enable Tyrants|Michael Tomasky|September 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Reich, the former American diplomat, says he thinks Morales might just be crazy enough to ferret Snowden to La Paz.
Is Edward Snowden Bound for Bolivia? Evo Morales Sure Seems to Hope So|Eli Lake, Mac Margolis|July 2, 2013|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.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume 2|Ian Hamilton
Where you like; there must be two or three remaining in the neighborhood, so ferret them out and bring them here.
Maupassant Original Short Stories (180), Complete|Guy de Maupassant
Oh, if he'd a notion I was within twenty miles of him, he'd ferret me out to pay off old grudges.
North and South|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
I stuck my hand down, and it was given a vicious bite by a white, pink-eyed ferret Paul was carrying there.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
He was endeavoring to pierce the darkness with his ferret eyes, when the chimes of a neighboring church clock struck twelve.
A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ferret (1 of 2)

ferret¹

/ (ˈfɛrɪt) /

noun

a domesticated albino variety of the polecat Mustela putorius, bred for hunting rats, rabbits, etc

an assiduous searcher

black-footed ferret a musteline mammal, Mustela nigripes, of W North America, closely related to the weasels

verb -rets, -reting or -reted

to hunt (rabbits, rats, etc) with ferrets

(tr usually foll by out) to drive from hidingto ferret out snipers

(tr usually foll by out) to find by persistent investigation

(intr) to search around

Derived forms of ferret

ferreter, nounferrety, adjective

Word Origin for ferret

C14: from Old French furet, from Latin fur thief

British Dictionary definitions for ferret (2 of 2)

ferret²

ferreting

/ (ˈfɛrɪt) /

noun

silk binding tape

Word Origin for ferret

C16: from Italian fioretti floss silk, plural of fioretto : a little flower, from fiore flower, from Latin flōs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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