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ferrets out
| Main Entry: |
ferret out
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | search out |
| Synonyms: | ascertain, be on to, bring to light, chase, chase down, determine, dig out, dig up, dig up, disclose, discover, drive out, elicit, extract, follow, get at, hunt, hunt down, learn, nose out, penetrate, pick up on, pierce, probe, pry, pursue, quest, root out, root out, scout out, search out, seek, smell out, smoke out, smoke out, sniff out, trace, track down, trail, uncover, unearth, worm out |
| Main Entry: | discover |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | find, uncover |
| Synonyms: | ascertain, bring to light, catch, come across, come upon, conceive, contrive, debunk, design, detect, determine, devise, dig up, discern, disclose, distinguish, elicit, espy, explore, ferret out, get wind of, get wise to, glimpse, hear, identify, invent, learn, light upon, locate, look up, nose out, notice, observe, originate, perceive, pick up on, pioneer, realize, recognize, reveal, see, sense, smoke out, spot, think of, turn up, unearth |
| Notes: | The word discover goes back to Latin dis- and cooperire, meaning 'to remove the covering; completely uncover.' By 1553, it was used to mean 'seeing or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown' and 'finding out; bringing to light.' You discover ('uncover') something that is already there, something that has existed but is generally unknown - but you invent something that has never existed before. |
| Antonyms: | lose, miss, pass by |
| Main Entry: | find |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | catch sight of, lay hands on |
| Synonyms: | arrive at, bring to light, bump into, chance upon, collar, come across, come up with*, come upon, corral, descry, detect, dig up, discern, discover, distinguish, encounter, espy, expose, fall in with, ferret out, happen upon, hit upon, identify, lay fingers on, light upon, locate, make out, meet, notice, observe, perceive, pinpoint, recognize, recover, run across, run into, scare up, sight, smoke out, spot, strike, stumble upon, track down, trip on, turn up, uncover, unearth |
| Notes: | a find (noun) is a discovery or productive insight - find (verb) means to come upon or discover something; fined means punished by the imposition of a penalty |
| Antonyms: | fail, lose, miss, pass by |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | hunt |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | look, search for |
| Synonyms: | be on the lookout, cast about, delve, drag, examine, ferret out, fish for, forage, go after, grope, inquire, interrogate, investigate, look all over hell, look high and low, nose around, probe, prowl, quest, question, ransack, rummage, run down, scour, scratch around, search high heaven, seek, sift, trace, trail, try to find, winnow |
| Antonyms: | ignore, neglect |
| Main Entry: | locate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | find |
| Synonyms: | come across, come upon, detect, determine, discover, establish, ferret out, get at, happen upon, hit upon, hook*, lay one's hands on, light upon, meet with, pick up on, pin down, pinpoint, place, position, read, search out, smell out, smoke out, spot, station, strike, stumble on, track down, trip over, uncover, unearth, zero in on |
| Antonyms: | lose, miss |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | pry |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | interfere in someone else's business |
| Synonyms: | be a busybody, be all ears, be curious, be inquisitive, be nosy, bug*, ferret out, gape, gaze, hunt, inquire, intrude, investigate, listen in, meddle, nose, peek, peep, peer, poke, poke nose into, ransack, reconnoiter, rubberneck, search, snoop, spy, stare, tap, tune in on, wiretap |
| Antonyms: | leave alone |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | rummage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ransack, search |
| Synonyms: | beat the bushes, comb, delve, dig out, disarrange, disarray, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, examine, explore, ferret out, fish, forage, grub, hunt, jumble, leave no stone unturned, look high and low, mess up, mix up, poke, rake, root, scour, search high heaven, seek, shake, shake down, spy, toss, turn inside out, turn upside down |
| Antonyms: | order, organize |
| Main Entry: | scour |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | search thoroughly |
| Synonyms: | beat, comb, ferret out, find, forage, go over with a fine-tooth comb, grub, hunt, inquire, leave no stone unturned, look for, look high and low, look up and down, rake, ransack, rout, rummage, seek, track down, turn inside out, turn upside down |
| Antonyms: | ignore, overlook |
| Main Entry: | seek |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | look for |
| Synonyms: | be after, beat the bushes, bird-dog, bob for, cast about, chase, comb, delve, delve for, dig for, dragnet, explore, fan, ferret out, fish, fish for, follow, go after, gun for, hunt, inquire, investigate, leave no stone unturned, look about, look around, look high and low, mouse, nose*, prowl, pursue, quest, ransack, root, run after, scout, scratch, search for, search out, sniff out, track down |
| Antonyms: | find |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
