ferret
1a domesticated, usually red-eyed, and albinic variety of thepolecat, used in Europe for driving rabbits and rats from their burrows.
to drive out by using or as if using a ferret (often followed by out): to ferret rabbits from their burrows;to ferret out enemies.
to hunt with ferrets.
to hunt over with ferrets: to ferret a field.
to search out, discover, or bring to light (often followed by out): to ferret out the facts.
to harry, worry, or torment: His problems ferreted him day and night.
to search about.
Origin of ferret
1Other words from ferret
- fer·ret·er, noun
- fer·ret·y, adjective
- un·fer·ret·ed, adjective
- un·fer·ret·ing, adjective
Other definitions for ferret (2 of 2)
a narrow tape or ribbon, as of silk or cotton, used for binding, trimming, etc.
Origin of ferret
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ferret in a sentence
Most old books have now been ferreted out, and perhaps the only earths yet untried are in the Yezidi villages of the Sinjar.
The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. WigramHis own public virtue was in this matter very great, for it was he who had ferreted out the secret.
The Prime Minister | Anthony TrollopeTyro, in his capacity as an Indian, ferreted end listened everywhere, but the secret was well kept.
The Flying Horseman | Gustave AimardA reporter ferreted him out and appeared at Tedworth Square with cabled instructions from his paper.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow PaineBut I was never able to get certain proof of it under unimpeachable conditions; and I have ferreted out many a trick.
Mysterious Psychic Forces | Camille Flammarion
British Dictionary definitions for ferret (1 of 2)
/ (ˈfɛrɪt) /
a domesticated albino variety of the polecat Mustela putorius, bred for hunting rats, rabbits, etc
an assiduous searcher
black-footed ferret a musteline mammal, Mustela nigripes, of W North America, closely related to the weasels
to hunt (rabbits, rats, etc) with ferrets
(tr usually foll by out) to drive from hiding: to ferret out snipers
(tr usually foll by out) to find by persistent investigation
(intr) to search around
Origin of ferret
1Derived forms of ferret
- ferreter, noun
- ferrety, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for ferret (2 of 2)
ferreting
/ (ˈfɛrɪt) /
silk binding tape
Origin of ferret
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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