ferret out

Meanings

verbferret out (third-person singular simple present ferrets out, present participle ferreting out, simple past and past participle ferreted out)

present singular third person ferrets out · participle present ferreting out · participle past ferreted out · past ferreted out

transitiveTo discover something after searching.
Near-synonyms: dig out, sniff out
Synonyms: dig out, sniff out

verbTo discover something after searching.

Similar

verbsearch and discover through persistent investigation

Similar

Broader

Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

French débusquer, mettre la main sur

Greek ξετρυπώνω

Polish węszyć, wywęszyć

Russian выню́хивать, вы́нюхать

Cite this entry

APA

ferret out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ferret%20out

MLA

“ferret out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ferret%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ferret out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ferret%20out.