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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:

Kevin Murphy, of Norfolk Wildlife Rescue, has been trying to track down the Savannah cat since it was spotted three weeks ago near Bramerton, south of Norwich.

From BBC Jul. 17, 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

Last year, the Providence, R.I., police chief credited Flock’s cameras with helping track down the Brown University shooting suspect, who had changed license plates.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

Maybe I could track down Marcus’s lawyer and ask him questions about the case.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

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