track down
PHRASAL VERB
If you
track down
someone or something, you find them, or find information about them, after a difficult or long search. □ [V
P
n]
She had spent years trying to track down her parents.
□ [V
n P
]
I don't know where that old story came from, I've never been able to track it down.
SYNONYMS
track
NOUN
1
path:
We followed the path along the clifftops.
way:
…the well-trodden 250-mile Pennine Way.
trail:
He was following a broad trail through the trees.
pathway:
…a pathway leading towards the nearby river.
tra
ck and fie
ld
N‑UNCOUNT
Track and field
refers to athletics as opposed to other sports.
track|ball
/træ
kbɔːl/ (trackballs
) also
track ball
,
tracker ball
N‑COUNT
A
trackball
is a ball on some computers that you turn in order to move the cursor. [COMPUTING
]
track|er
/træ
kə
r
/ (trackers
) N‑COUNT
A
tracker
is a person or animal that finds other people or animals by following the marks left by their feet and other signs that show where they have been.
track|er fund
/træ
kə
r
fʌ
nd/ (tracker funds
) N‑COUNT
A
tracker fund
is an investment in which shares in different companies are bought and sold so that the value of the shares held always matches the average value of shares in all or part of a stock market. [mainly BRIT
, BUSINESS
]
tra
ck event
(
track events
) N‑COUNT
A
track event
is an event in athletics which involves running or walking around a racetrack, in contrast to events that involve only jumping or throwing.
track|pad
/træ
kpæd/ (trackpads
) N‑COUNT
A
trackpad
is a flat pad on some computers that you slide your finger over in order to move the cursor. [COMPUTING
] □
…with features like a trackpad instead of a trackball.
tra
ck re
c|ord
(
track records
) N‑COUNT
If you talk about the
track record
of a person, company, or product, you are referring to their past performance, achievements, or failures in it. □ [+ in
]
The job needs someone with a good track record in investment.
[Also + of
]
track|suit
/træ
ksuːt/ (tracksuits
) also
track suit
N‑COUNT
A
tracksuit
is a loose, warm suit consisting of trousers and a top which people wear to relax and to do exercise. [BRIT
]
in AM, use sweatsuit
tract
/træ
kt/ (tracts
)
1
N‑COUNT
A
tractof
land is a very large area of land. □ [+ of
]
A vast tract of land is ready for development.
2
N‑COUNT
A
tract
is a short article expressing a strong opinion on a religious, moral, or political subject in order to try to influence people's attitudes. □
She produced a feminist tract, 'Comments on Birth-Control', in 1930.
3
N‑COUNT
A
tract
is a system of organs and tubes in an animal's or person's body that has a particular function, especially the function of processing a substance in the body. [MEDICAL
] □
Foods are broken down in the digestive tract.
□
…urinary tract infections.
trac|table
/træ
ktəb
ə
l/ ADJ
If you say that a person, problem, or device is
tractable
, you mean that they can be easily controlled or dealt with. [FORMAL
] □
…the country's least tractable social problems.
trac|tion
/træ
kʃ
ə
n/
1
N‑UNCOUNT
[oft in
N
]
Traction
is a form of medical treatment, in which weights and pulleys are used to gently pull or stretch an injured part of the body for a period of time. You say that a person who is having this treatment is
in traction
. □
Isabelle's legs were in traction for about two and a half weeks.
2
N‑UNCOUNT
Traction
is a particular form of power that makes a vehicle move.
3
N‑UNCOUNT
Traction
is the grip that something has on the ground, especially the wheels of a vehicle.
trac|tor
/træ
ktə
r
/ (tractors
) N‑COUNT
A
tractor
is a farm vehicle that is used to pull farm machinery and to provide the energy needed for the machinery to work.
trad
/træ
d/ N‑UNCOUNT
Trad
or
trad jazz
is a kind of jazz based on the jazz that was played in the 1920s. [BRIT
]