ferret

[fer-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ferret 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.

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

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

ferret

[fer-it]

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. 2019

Related Words for ferret

raid, seize, pillage, rob, plunder, scour, gut, loot, comb, embed, ingrain, explore, inspect, examine, hunt, look, scan, investigate, ransack, probe

Examples from the Web for ferret

Contemporary Examples of ferret

Ferret is a carefully chosen comparison, implying diligence but absolutely no imagination.
Sherlock Holmes Vs. Jack the Ripper
Clive Irving
November 16, 2014
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
They were used to ferret rebel fighters out of their strongholds.
When Liberals Enable Tyrants
Michael Tomasky
September 6, 2013
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
Lots of people at SAC work extremely hard to ferret out good investing ideas.
The Insider-Trading Cloud Hanging Over SAC Capital’s Steven A. Cohen
Daniel Gross
November 27, 2012

Historical Examples of ferret

His ferret eyes searched the apartment; he seemed counting every article.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Satisfied, now, that there was imposture, he resolved to ferret it out.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 2 August 1848
Various
Also, a ferret's muzzle, and a twist of tarry string, still faintly aromatic.
The Golden Age
Kenneth Grahame
The postman had been watching Pete out of the corners of his ferret eyes.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
“How rude of me-my name is Ferret R. Fable,” he said as he bowed.
FreeChildrenStories.com Collection
Daniel Errico

British Dictionary definitions for ferret

ferret

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 Formsferreter, nounferrety, adjective

Word Origin for ferret

C14: from Old French furet, from Latin fur thief

ferret

ferreting

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

Word Origin and History for ferret

late 14c., from Old French furet, diminutive of fuiron "weasel, ferret," literally "thief," probably from Late Latin furionem (related to furonem "cat," also "robber"), from Latin fur (genitive furis) "thief."

early 15c., from ferret (n.), in reference to the use of half-tame ferrets to kill rats and flush rabbits from burrows; the extended sense of "search out, discover" is 1570s. Related: Ferreted; ferreting.