tracer

[ trey-ser ]

/ ˈtreɪ sər /

noun

a person or thing that traces.

a person whose business or work is the tracing of missing property, parcels, persons, etc.

an inquiry sent from point to point to trace a missing shipment, parcel, or the like, as in a transportation system.

any of various devices for tracing drawings, plans, etc.

Also called tracer ammunition. ammunition containing a chemical substance that causes a projectile to trail smoke or fire so as to make its path visible and indicate a target to other firers, especially at night.

the chemical substance contained in such ammunition.

a substance, especially a radioactive one, traced through a biological, chemical, or physical system in order to study the system.

Nearby words

trace element, trace fossil, traceable, traceless, tracelessly, tracer, tracer bullet, traceried, tracery, traces, traceur

Origin of tracer

First recorded in 1535–45; trace¹ + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tracer

Suddenly, the darkness came alive with muzzle flashes and tracer rounds.
From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals|Matthew Wolfe|July 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Tracer bullets, each with a descending arc, were zinging all around as Rigg swung LCI(L)-88 to the right.
The Story of the American Journalists Who Landed on D-Day|Timothy M. Gay|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Below us, on Sultan Ismail Street, government troops thrust lances of tracer fire towards a horde of approaching cadavers.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks|Max Brooks|January 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The Tracer paused and waited for the stenographer to finish.
The Tracer of Lost Persons|Robert W. Chambers

Tracer: A chisel-shaped punch used for cutting for any design or work that requires deep lines.
The Library of Work and Play: Working in Metals|Charles Conrad Sleffel
I'll bet I could fix him for life if I called in the Tracer to help me.
The Tracer of Lost Persons|Robert W. Chambers
As the tracer follows the curve the frame is made to turn through an angle nθ.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4|Various
He wheeled squarely on his heels, looking straight at the Tracer.
The Tracer of Lost Persons|Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for tracer

tracer

/ (ˈtreɪsə) /

noun

a person or thing that traces

a projectile that can be observed when in flight by the burning of chemical substances in its base
ammunition consisting of such projectiles
(as modifier)tracer fire

med any radioactive isotope introduced into the body to study metabolic processes, absorption, etc, by following its progress through the body with a gamma camera or other detector

an investigation to trace missing cargo, mail, etc

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 tracer

tracer

c.1500, "one who tracks or searches," agent noun from verb form of trace (n.1). Meaning "bullet whose course is made visible" is from 1910.

Medicine definitions for tracer

tracer

[ trā′sər ]

n.

A substance, such as a dye or a radioactive isotope, that is introduced into and followed through a biological or chemical process, by virtue of its radioactive signature, color, or other distinguishing physical property, thus providing information on the course of the process or on the components or events involved.

An instrument used in dissecting nerves and blood vessels.

Science definitions for tracer

tracer

[ trā′sər ]

An identifiable substance, such as a dye or radioactive isotope, that can be followed through the course of a mechanical, chemical, or biological process. Tracers are used in radioimmunoassays and other laboratory testing. The use of radioactive iodine, for example, can give information about thyroid gland metabolism. Also called label