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track down

B1 neutral separable transitive

to find someone or something after a difficult search

In plain English

find someone or something after looking hard

What does "track down" mean?

2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 B1 idiomatic neutral

to find a person or thing after searching for them carefully or for a long time

"I finally tracked down the book I needed at a second-hand shop."

Police tracked down the suspect within hours.

— common news report phrasing; no single verifiable source recalled
separable
2 B1 idiomatic neutral

to obtain information by searching persistently

"Can you track down her email address for me?"

separable

Literal vs figurative

Words literally mean

to follow tracks until you reach the person or thing

Actually means

find someone or something after looking hard

Usage tip

Very common in everyday and journalistic English. Used for people, documents, information, and stolen items.

Words that pair with "track down"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

suspect owner address information witness document

How to conjugate "track down"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base
track down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tracks down
he/she/it
Past simple
tracked down
yesterday
Past participle
tracked down
have + pp
-ing form
tracking down
continuous

Hear "track down" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "track down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "track down"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

Keep exploring

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