track down

British  

verb

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

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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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

track down

For this essay, I used it to track down a magazine article I dimly remembered reading almost 40 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

It is notoriously tough to get vintage vehicles up to current emissions standards because decades-old emissions systems frequently deteriorate, and replacement parts are hard to track down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Vehicles that hide from number plate recognition cameras are harder for police to track down when they are stolen or linked to crimes.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

She said by bringing forces together and making better use of technology the new team would track down offenders faster and disrupt gangs.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

He managed to track down a copy of the actual scientific paper and to persuade scientists at the US Atomic Energy Commission to explain to him what it meant.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau