ferret

¹ American  

[fer-it] / ˈfɛr ɪt /

noun

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

2. black-footed ferret.

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verb (used with object)

1. to drive out by using or as if using a ferret (often followed byout ).

   to ferret rabbits from their burrows;

   to ferret out enemies.

2. to hunt with ferrets.

3. to hunt over with ferrets.

   to ferret a field.

4. to search out, discover, or bring to light (often followed byout ).

   to ferret out the facts.

5. to harry, worry, or torment.

   His problems ferreted him day and night.

verb (used without object)

1. to search about.

ferret ² American  

[fer-it] / ˈfɛr ɪt /

noun

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

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ferret ¹ British  

/ ˈfɛrɪt /

noun

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

2. an assiduous searcher

3. a musteline mammal, Mustela nigripes , of W North America, closely related to the weasels

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verb

1. to hunt (rabbits, rats, etc) with ferrets

2. to drive from hiding

   to ferret out snipers

3. to find by persistent investigation

4. (intr) to search around

ferret ² British  

/ ˈfɛrɪt /

noun

1. silk binding tape

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Other Word Forms

• ferreter noun
• ferrety adjective
• unferreted adjective
• unferreting adjective

Etymology

Origin of ferret¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English feret, furet, from Middle French furet, fuiret, from Vulgar Latin furittus (unrecorded), equivalent to fūr “thief” + -ittus -et

Origin of ferret²

First recorded in 1570–80; alteration of Italian fioretto “floss silk,” literally, “little flower,” equivalent to fior(e) + -etto diminutive ending; flower, -et

Explanation

You may be familiar with ferrets, those adorable little mammals that look like cheap minks. Well, the verb to ferret means to act like a ferret: to dig for something until you find it. Ferrets are great at digging, so it's no surprise that we acknowledge their skills when we make the verb ferret, which almost always comes attached to the preposition "out." Woodward and Bernstein worked tirelessly to ferret out the names of the guys who raided the Watergate offices. When you're ready, I'm going to ask you to ferret out those two photos from that stack of photo boxes.

Example Sentences

Bell said getting rid of an "aggressive predator" like a ferret in a "unique" environment like Rathlin showed what could be achieved.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

They’re all law-abiding people, and this directive ostensibly aims to ferret out terrorists and criminals.

From Slate • Dec. 17, 2025

The modern discipline of psychology would ferret out the private motives of regular and refined collectors alike.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

We will ferret out students who protest against my policies.

From Salon • Oct. 18, 2025

They have undergone or are currently involved in successful reintroductions to the wild: Karner blue butterfly, red wolf, black-footed ferret, whooping crane, golden-lion tamarin.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Related Words

• check
• comb
• examine
• explore
• go through
• hunt
• hunt for
• inspect
• investigate
• look
• probe
• ransack
• scan
• scour
• scout
• scrutinize
• seek
• sift