Officials say they will ferret out abuses in the welfare program.
If you're looking for owners of abandoned property, it can take years to ferret them out.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
ferret out — (something) to discover something after careful searching. Officials say they will ferret out abuses in the welfare program. If you re looking for owners of abandoned property, it can take years to ferret them out … New idioms dictionary
ferret out — verb search and discover through persistent investigation (Freq. 1) She ferreted out the truth • Syn: ↑ferret • Hypernyms: ↑discover, ↑find • Verb Frames … Useful english dictionary
ferret something out — ˌferret sb/sthˈout derived (informal) to discover information or to find sb/sth by searching thoroughly, asking a lot of questions, etc • He is determined to ferret out the truth about what happened. Main entry: ↑ferretderived … Useful english dictionary
ferret — ► NOUN 1) a domesticated albino or brown polecat, used for catching rabbits. 2) informal a search. ► VERB (ferreted, ferreting) 1) hunt with ferrets. 2) search for something in a place or container. 3) … English terms dictionary
ferret — fer|ret1 [ˈferıt] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: furet, from Latin fur thief ] a small animal with a pointed nose, used to hunt rats and rabbits ferret 2 ferret2 v 1.) [always + adverb/preposition] [i]informal to search for somet … Dictionary of contemporary English
ferret — I UK [ˈferɪt] / US [ˈferət] noun [countable] Word forms ferret : singular ferret plural ferrets a small thin furry animal with a long tail that people use for hunting rabbits and rats II UK [ˈferɪt] / US [ˈferət] verb [intransitive] Word forms… … English dictionary
ferret — 1 noun (C) a small animal with a pointed nose used to hunt rats and rabbits 2 verb (I) 1 (always + adv/prep) informal to search for something inside a drawer, box etc by pushing things about (+ about/around/for): She ferreted about in her desk… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
ferret — fer|ret1 [ ferət ] noun count a small thin furry animal with a long tail that people keep as a pet or use for hunting RABBITS and RATS ferret fer|ret 2 [ ferət ] verb intransitive 1. ) to search for something in a small space: ferret around: She… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
ferret — [[t]fe̱rɪt[/t]] ferrets, ferreting, ferreted 1) N COUNT A ferret is a small, fierce animal which is used for hunting rabbits and rats. 2) VERB If you ferret about for something, you look for it in a lot of different places or in a place where it… … English dictionary
ferret — [ fɛrɪt] noun 1》 a domesticated albino or brown polecat, used for catching rabbits. [Mustela furo.] 2》 an assiduous search. verb (ferrets, ferreting, ferreted) 1》 hunt with ferrets. 2》 search for something in a place or container. ↘(ferret… … English new terms dictionary
