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ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

trace

noun · verb

Words like trace

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MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01noun

a just detectable amount

“he speaks French with a trace of an accent”

“a hint mockery in her manner”

02noun

an indication that something has been present

“there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim”

“a tincture of condescension”

03noun

a suggestion of some quality

“there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone”

“he detected a ghost of a smile on her face”

04noun

a drawing created by superimposing a semitransparent sheet of paper on the original image and copying on it the lines of the original image

10 more meanings

05noun

either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree

06noun

a visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle

07verb

follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something

“We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba”

“trace the student's progress”

08verb

make a mark or lines on a surface

“draw a line”

“trace the outline of a figure in the sand”

09verb

to go back over again

“we retraced the route we took last summer”

“trace your path”

10verb

pursue or chase relentlessly

“The hunters traced the deer into the woods”

“the detectives hounded the suspect until they found him”

11verb

discover traces of

“She traced the circumstances of her birth”

12verb

make one's course or travel along a path; travel or pass over, around, or along

“The children traced along the edge of the dark forest”

“The women traced the pasture”

13verb

copy by following the lines of the original drawing on a transparent sheet placed upon it; make a tracing of

“trace a design”

“trace a pattern”

14verb

read with difficulty

“Can you decipher this letter?”

“The archeologist traced the hieroglyphs”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

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Expressions with “trace”

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Explore multiword dictionary entries containing this word. Each has its own meanings and related words.

memory trace trace element trace program trace detector trace italienne explosive trace detection