ferret
noun
a domesticated, usually red-eyed, and albinic variety of the polecat, used in Europe for driving rabbits and rats from their burrows.
ferreted
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past participleof ferret.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof ferret.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
ferretnouna domesticated, usually red-eyed, and albinic variety of the polecat, used in Europe for driving rabbits and rats from their burrows.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Smith, for his part, is dubious about the veracity of the ransom notes - and believes Guthrie was ferreted down to Mexico where she could more easily be kept out of sight.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Agriculture Department ferreted data from 28 states and says it found nearly 186,000 dead recipients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
“Good cops want bad cops ferreted out,” Jenkins said in a recent interview.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 20, 2023
Profligate users were ferreted out from public records and, if they could be identified, shamed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2021
We were supposed to go out to a film together, but he locked himself in our bathroom upstairs and refused to come out for nearly an hour, until my grandmother had ferreted him out.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
