trace

[ treys ]

/ treɪs /

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See synonyms for: trace / traced / traces / tracing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a surviving mark, sign, or evidence of the former existence, influence, or action of some agent or event; vestige: traces of an advanced civilization among the ruins.

a barely discernible indication or evidence of some quantity, quality, characteristic, expression, etc.: a trace of anger in his tone.

an extremely small amount of some chemical component: a trace of copper in its composition.

traces, the series of footprints left by an animal.

the track left by the passage of a person, animal, or object: the trace of her skates on the ice.

Meteorology. precipitation of less than 0.005 inch (0.127 millimeter).

a trail or path, especially through wild or open territory, made by the passage of people, animals, or vehicles.

engram.

a tracing, drawing, or sketch of something.

a lightly drawn line, as the record drawn by a self-registering instrument.

Mathematics.

the intersection of two planes, or of a plane and a surface.
the sum of the elements along the principal diagonal of a square matrix.
the geometric locus of an equation.

the visible line or lines produced on the screen of a cathode-ray tube by the deflection of the electron beam.

Linguistics. (in generative grammar) a construct that is phonologically empty but serves to mark the place in the surface structure of a sentence from which a noun phrase has been moved by a transformational operation.

Obsolete. a footprint.

verb (used with object), traced, trac·ing.

to follow the footprints, track, or traces of.

to follow, make out, or determine the course or line of, especially by going backward from the latest evidence, nearest existence, etc.: to trace one's ancestry to the Pilgrims.

to follow (footprints, evidence, the history or course of something, etc.).

to follow the course, development, or history of: to trace a political movement.

to ascertain by investigation; find out; discover: The police were unable to trace his whereabouts.

to draw (a line, outline, figure, etc.).

to make a plan, diagram, or map of.

to copy (a drawing, plan, etc.) by following the lines of the original on a superimposed transparent sheet.

to mark or ornament with lines, figures, etc.

to make an impression or imprinting of (a design, pattern, etc.).

(of a self-registering instrument) to print in a curved, broken, or wavy-lined manner.

to put down in writing.

verb (used without object), traced, trac·ing.

to go back in history, ancestry, or origin; date back in time: Her family traces back to Paul Revere.

to follow a course, trail, etc.; make one's way.

(of a self-registering instrument) to print a record in a curved, broken, or wavy-lined manner.

OTHER WORDS FOR trace

2 hint, suggestion, taste, touch.

5 trail, spoor; record.

15 track, trail.

See synonyms for trace on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR trace

2 abundance, excess, plethora.

See antonyms for trace on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of trace

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English verb trace(n), trase(n) “to make one's way, proceed, move along a set course,” from Old French tra(i)cier, traser, from unattested Vulgar Latin tractiāre, derivative of Latin tractus, past participle of trahere “to draw, drag”; Middle English noun trace tras(e) “way, course, line of footprints, track, trail,” from Old French, derivative of tracier

synonym study for trace

1. Trace, vestige agree in denoting marks or signs of something, usually of the past. Trace , the broader term, denotes any mark or slight indication of something past or present: a trace of ammonia in water. Vestige is more limited and refers to some slight, though actual, remains of something that no longer exists: vestiges of one's former wealth.

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

un·traced, adjective

Words nearby trace

trabeated, trabecula, trabs, Trabzon, tracasserie, trace, traceable, trace element, trace fossil, traceless, tracer

Other definitions for trace (2 of 2)

trace²

[ treys ]

/ treɪs /

noun

either of the two straps, ropes, or chains by which a carriage, wagon, or the like is drawn by a harnessed horse or other draft animal.

a piece in a machine, as a bar, transferring the movement of one part to another part, being hinged to each.

Origin of trace

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English trais(e), traice, from Old French trais, tres, plural of trait “harness strap, action of drawing,” from Latin tractus “a drawing, dragging”; see origin at tract¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trace in a sentence

It’s such a nuisance that Friends of Acadia has a crew of volunteer ridge runners whose mission is dismantling outlaw cairns and educating hikers to leave no trace.
The Ultimate Acadia National Park Travel Guide|Virginia M. Wright|February 8, 2021|Outside Online
Both are unlikely to turn up in the fossil record, and that’s normal for trace fossils.
Giant worms may have burrowed into the ancient seafloor to ambush prey|Helen Thompson|January 22, 2021|Science News
Wage and Hour employees failed to so much as enter five of the 10 complaints in the department’s database, producing no trace that a complaint was ever filed.
All a Gig-Economy Pioneer Had to Do Was “Politely Disagree” It Was Violating Federal Law and the Labor Department Walked Away|by Ken Armstrong, Justin Elliott and Ariana Tobin|January 22, 2021|ProPublica
Despite a few flurries Wednesday, Washington has yet to record a trace of snow so far this January.
Increasing chances for a wintry mix early next week in the D.C. area|Jason Samenow, Wes Junker|January 21, 2021|Washington Post

They also found traces of blood on the stone knife he was carrying.
Humans Have Gotten Nicer and Better at Making War - Issue 94: Evolving|Steve Paulson|January 6, 2021|Nautilus
Throughout all the stories of loss and pain with the Chief, there was barely a trace of emotion.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Almost all of our human activities leave a chemical trace in the water,” says Alm.
The Secret to Tracking Ebola, MERS, and Flu? Sewers|Wudan Yan|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Recently, when whistleblowers finally surfaced, the Home Office officials could find no trace of the dossier.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He mounted a Trace Elliot amplifier on the back of the truck.
Greil Marcus Talks About Trying to Unlock Rock and Roll in 10 Songs|Allen Barra|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it is nearly impossible to trace each knockoff to each patient or to confirm how many were affected.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In chronic interstitial nephritis it is small—frequently no more than a trace.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
They speak of a certain Norumbega and give the names of cities and strongholds of which to-day no trace or even report remains.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Against the blue background of the sky, green hill-tops trace an undulant line.
Bastien Lepage|Fr. Crastre
A trace of bile may be present as a result of excessive straining while the tube is in the stomach.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
A trace of light had begun to soften the sky over the dome, but had not yet seeped down to ground level.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

trace¹

/ (treɪs) /

noun

a mark or other sign that something has been in a place; vestige

a tiny or scarcely detectable amount or characteristic

a footprint or other indication of the passage of an animal or person

any line drawn by a recording instrument or a record consisting of a number of such lines

something drawn, such as a tracing

mainly US a beaten track or path

the postulated alteration in the cells of the nervous system that occurs as the result of any experience or learningSee also memory trace, engram

geometry the intersection of a surface with a coordinate plane

maths the sum of the diagonal entries of a square matrix

linguistics a symbol inserted in the constituent structure of a sentence to mark the position from which a constituent has been moved in a generative process

meteorol an amount of precipitation that is too small to be measured

archaic a way taken; route

verb

(tr) to follow, discover, or ascertain the course or development of (something)to trace the history of China

(tr) to track down and find, as by following a trail

to copy (a design, map, etc) by drawing over the lines visible through a superimposed sheet of transparent paper or other material

(tr often foll by out)

to draw or delineate a plan or diagram ofshe spent hours tracing the models one at a time
to outline or sketch (an idea, policy, etc)he traced out his scheme for the robbery

(tr) to decorate with tracery

(tr) to imprint (a design) on cloth, etc

(usually foll by back) to follow or be followed to source; date backhis ancestors trace back to the 16th century

archaic to make one's way over, through, or along (something)

Derived forms of trace

traceable, adjectivetraceability or traceableness, nountraceably, adverbtraceless, adjective

tracelessly, adverb

Word Origin for trace

C13: from French tracier, from Vulgar Latin tractiāre (unattested) to drag, from Latin tractus, from trahere to drag

British Dictionary definitions for trace (2 of 2)

trace²

/ (treɪs) /

noun

either of the two side straps that connect a horse's harness to the swingletree

angling a length of nylon or, formerly, gut attaching a hook or fly to a line

kick over the traces to escape or defy control

Word Origin for trace

C14 trais, from Old French trait, ultimately from Latin trahere to drag

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

trace

OTHER WORDS FOR trace

OPPOSITES FOR trace

Origin of trace

synonym study for trace

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

Words nearby trace

Other definitions for trace (2 of 2)

Origin of trace

Words related to trace

How to use trace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

Derived forms of trace

Word Origin for trace

British Dictionary definitions for trace (2 of 2)

Word Origin for trace