Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

track down

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to find by tracking or pursuing

"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

track down Idioms  
  1. Follow successfully, locate, as in I've been trying to track down that book but haven't had any luck. This term alludes to the literal use of track, “follow the footsteps of.” [Second half of 1800s]


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.

See Examples For:

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said authorities were working with Interpol to track down the mastermind behind the operations.

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

“It can take a long time to track down a source, in part because cyclosporiasis manifests itself so differently in people.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 14, 2026

Don’t expect members of my profession to track down the story.

From Salon Jul. 10, 2026

Relatives were never able to track down the rumored recipient.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 30, 2026

Why can't he become one of those heroes he plays in the movies and track down my mother and bring her back to me?

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training