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

It took a week to track down the “department” that actually could make copies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Beekeepers who feared a damaging new arrival of Asian hornets in the Greater Manchester area helped track down their nest after sightings sparked an urgent search.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 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

LeMaire says it and Paul Mazursky’s 1986 comedy “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” another Brooks selection, lack readily available digital restorations, making suitable screening materials harder to track down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

For a year the young astronomers did everything they could think of to track down and eliminate the noise.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson