trace down

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "trace down" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to the act of looking for something or someone by following a series of clues or steps. For example, "She was determined to trace down the thief who had stolen her wallet."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

But there can be no mystery these days and so no power: because this is the digital age, it is simple enough to pull the document apart, to trace down every single one of its sources, to dissemble it, via a plagiarism-checking program or just by dropping bits of it into Google, and to force it to give up its ghosts.

The New Yorker

Because of that bifurcations of stiff bursting solutions, especially irregular ones, are hard to trace down by parameter continuation software packages such as CONTENT and AUTO-based packages, which are specifically designed mainly for explorations of equilibria and 'typical' periodic orbits.

The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience

I started trying to trace down every part, every little tentacle of his empire, and find someone who'd been at the center of it and get their story.

Vice

The Markov model with a 30-year time horizon was designed to trace down the long-term costs associated with recurrent-remittent depression and the benefits associated with an improved quality of life and reduced rates of suicides in treatment responders.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

"Every effort has to be made to trace down the culprits," said Sherry Rehman, a lawmaker with the governing Pakistan Peoples Party.

The New York Times

This paper aims to trace down the origins of radical inventions.

Research Policy

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

"We should be anticipating these kinds of epidemics and we should be out tracing down their origins so we can prevent future ones," Dr. Fish said.

The New York Times

I remember being very proud of Friends Reunited as, before its creation, I could see many messages on various messageboards asking for help tracing down long-lost friends – it was quite unlikely that sought-for friends would ever see these messages.

The Guardian - Tech

This observed pillaring of the graphene layers to a distinct distance was traced down to a consolidation reaction within the first polarization of the electrode material.

Electrochimica Acta

Application of Timoshenko's model instead of Euler Bernoulli's model for description of flexural vibrations enabled reduction of relative deviation of resonant frequencies calculated using ANSYS® from the value specified during resonant curves tracing down to negligible value (0.17%).

Ultrasonics

The volcanic ash particle distributions may have not been modified significantly by the effect of ablation at the time of deposition or exposure to the surface because the tephra-bearing ice layer could be traced continuously more than several kilometers and could be traced down into the ice at an angle with equal thickness (see Fig. 1d).

Earth, Planets and Space

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "trace down" when you want to emphasize the process of following clues or steps to find something, rather than simply finding it.

Common error

While "trace down" is acceptable in many contexts, consider more formal alternatives like "identify" or "ascertain" in highly formal or academic writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "trace down" functions as a phrasal verb, where "trace" is the verb and "down" is the particle. It's primary grammatical function is to modify a verb, specifically indicating the action of finding something by following a path or clues, as confirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "trace down" is a phrasal verb used to describe the process of finding something by following a trail or clues. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and provides examples of its use in various contexts, including news, science, and general writing. While its register is relatively neutral, more formal alternatives might be appropriate in certain academic contexts. The phrase is deemed to be of rare usage, and is found more commonly in News & Media and Science domains.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

track down

Emphasizes the pursuit and eventual finding of someone or something, often after a significant search.

locate

Focuses on determining the position or whereabouts of something or someone.

find

A general term for discovering something, which can be used if the process of tracing is not emphasized.

uncover

Suggests revealing something that was previously hidden or unknown.

identify

Highlights the recognition of something specific, often from a larger set of possibilities.

ascertain

Implies a careful and deliberate effort to find something out for certain.

detect

Suggests discovering something, especially something not easily noticeable.

determine

Focuses on establishing something definitively as the result of investigation or calculation.

discover

Implies finding something unexpectedly or while looking for something else.

investigate

Implies carrying out a systematic or formal inquiry to discover and examine the facts of an incident, allegation etc. so as to establish the truth.

FAQs

What does "trace down" mean?

The phrase "trace down" means to find or discover someone or something by following a series of clues or pieces of information.

How can I use "trace down" in a sentence?

You can use "trace down" to describe the act of finding something through investigation, for example: "The detective worked tirelessly to "trace down" the suspect".

What can I say instead of "trace down"?

You can use alternatives like "track down", "locate", or "find" depending on the context.

Is it better to use "trace down" or "hunt down"?

While both phrases imply searching, "trace down" suggests a more methodical approach, while "hunt down" implies a more aggressive or determined search.