track down

verb

To hunt for or locate; to search for; to find.

“I need to track down a computer so I can check my e-mails.”

Similar
huntrunhunt down
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Meanings

verbtrack down (third-person singular simple present tracks down, present participle tracking down, simple past and past participle tracked down)

present singular third person tracks down · participle present tracking down · participle past tracked down · past tracked down

  1. idiomaticTo hunt for or locate; to search for; to find.

    I need to track down a computer so I can check my e-mails.

    1 more example

    Baby, I know places we won't be found, and They'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down

    2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder, “I Know Places (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version), performed by Taylor Swift, published 27 October 2023
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see track, down.

    She'll track him down the mountain and catch him before long.

    2 more examples

    The hurricane tracked down past the cape before blowing east.

    The cameraman tracked the plane down so we have a recording of the crash.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbpursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)

Similar
huntrunhunt down
Broader
capturecatch
Also see
hunthunt downlook uprunrun downseek outtrack

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 搵到 /揾到, 查獲 /查获
  • 搵到 /揾到to search, hunt
  • 查獲 /查获 (caa⁴ wok⁶)to search, hunt
  • 追尋 /追寻 (zeoi¹ cam⁴)to search, hunt
Chinese Mandarin 找到, 查獲 /查获
  • 找到 (zhǎo dào)to search, hunt
  • 查獲 /查获 (cháhuò)to search, hunt
  • 追尋 /追寻 (zhuīxún)to search, hunt
Czech vysledovat, vypátrat
  • vysledovatto search, hunt
  • vypátratto search, hunt
Danish opspore
  • opsporeto search, hunt
Dutch opsporen
  • opsporento search, hunt
Esperanto serĉi
  • serĉito search, hunt
Finnish jäljittää
  • jäljittääto search, hunt
French traquer, dénicher
  • traquerto search, hunt
  • dénicherto search, hunt
  • débusquerto search, hunt
  • localiserto search, hunt
  • dépisterto search, hunt
German aufstöbern, ausfindig machen
  • aufstöbernto search, hunt
  • ausfindig machento search, hunt
  • aufspürento search, hunt
Greek εντοπίζω
  • εντοπίζω (entopízo)to search, hunt
Hungarian lenyomoz
  • lenyomozto search, hunt
Indonesian melacak
  • melacakto search, hunt
Italian rintracciare, scovare
  • rintracciareto search, hunt
  • scovareto search, hunt
  • localizzareto search, hunt
Japanese 追い詰める, 〜を見つけ出す
  • 追い詰める (oitsumeru)to search, hunt
  • 〜を見つけ出すto search, hunt
Polish tropić, wytropić
  • tropićto search, hunt
  • wytropićto search, hunt
Portuguese rastrear, localizar
  • rastrearto search, hunt
  • localizarto search, hunt
Romanian da, da de urmă
  • dato search, hunt
  • da de următo search, hunt
Russian высле́живать, вы́следить
  • высле́живать (vysléživatʹ)to search, hunt
  • вы́следить (výsleditʹ)to search, hunt
  • отсле́живать (otsléživatʹ)to search, hunt
  • отследи́ть (otsledítʹ)to search, hunt
Spanish rastrear, localizar
  • rastrearto search, hunt
  • localizarto search, hunt
Swedish spåra, förfölja
  • spårato search, hunt
  • förföljato search, hunt
Ukrainian висте́жувати, ви́стежити
  • висте́жувати (vystéžuvaty)to search, hunt
  • ви́стежити (výstežyty)to search, hunt
  • вислі́джувати (vyslídžuvaty)to search, hunt
  • ви́слідити (výslidyty)to search, hunt
Cite this entry
APA

track down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/track%20down

MLA

“track down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/track%20down. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “track down,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/track%20down.

Source: track down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.