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

Other definitions 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. 2022

How to use ferret in a sentence

A decade ago, scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health used ferrets to engineer a highly lethal flu virus.
A science in the shadows|David Willman, Madison Muller|August 26, 2021|Washington Post
Two researchers responded and were funded, and they discovered genetic changes that regulated H5N1 transmissibility in ferrets.
“We never created a supervirus.” Ralph Baric explains gain-of-function research.|Rowan Jacobsen|July 26, 2021|MIT Technology Review
His incarceration had made him less social and he was now like a lonely ferret without much to say.
Locked up in the Land of Liberty: Part II|Michael K. Lavers|July 14, 2021|Washington Blade
Wildlife officials estimate that more than 15,000 acres of prairie dog colonies are needed to provide for a self-sustaining ferret population with 100 breeding adults.
The fight to save America’s most endangered mammal|Ula Chrobak|March 5, 2021|Popular-Science

While this majority would likely favor restoring ferrets, a relative few were able to influence decisions on the ground at Thunder Basin.
The fight to save America’s most endangered mammal|Ula Chrobak|March 5, 2021|Popular-Science
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

ferret

Origin of ferret

OTHER WORDS FROM ferret

Words nearby ferret

Other definitions for ferret (2 of 2)

Origin of ferret

Words related to ferret

How to use ferret in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ferret (1 of 2)

Derived forms of ferret

Word Origin for ferret

British Dictionary definitions for ferret (2 of 2)

ferreting

Word Origin for ferret