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trace

noun (1)
\ ˈtrās How to pronounce trace (audio) \

Definition of trace

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a minute and often barely detectable amount or indication a trace of a smile
b : an amount of a chemical constituent not always quantitatively determinable because of minuteness
2a : a mark or line left by something that has passed also : footprint
b : a path, trail, or road made by the passage of animals, people, or vehicles
3a : a sign or evidence of some past thing : vestige
b : engram
4 : something (such as a line) traced or drawn: such as
a : the marking made by a recording instrument (such as a seismograph or kymograph)
b : the ground plan of a military installation or position either on a map or on the ground
5a : the intersection of a line or plane with a plane
b : the usually bright line or spot that moves across the screen of a cathode-ray tube also : the path taken by such a line or spot
6 archaic : a course or path that one follows

trace

verb
traced; tracing

Definition of trace (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : delineate, sketch
b : to form (letters, figures, etc.) carefully or painstakingly
c : to copy (something, such as a drawing) by following the lines or letters as seen through a transparent superimposed sheet
d : to impress or imprint (a design or pattern) with a tracer
e : to record a tracing of in the form of a curved, wavy, or broken line trace the heart action
f : to adorn with linear ornamentation (such as tracery or chasing)
2a : to follow or study out in detail or step by step trace the history of the war
b : to discover by going backward over the evidence step by step trace your ancestry
c : to discover signs, evidence, or remains of
d : to follow the footprints, track, or trail of
3 : to lay out the trace of (a military installation)
4 archaic : to travel over : traverse

intransitive verb

1 : to make one's way especially : to follow a track or trail
2 : to be traceable historically

trace

noun (2)

Definition of trace (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : either of two straps, chains, or lines of a harness for attaching a draft animal to something (such as a vehicle) to be drawn
2 : leader sense 1e(2)
3 : one or more vascular bundles supplying a leaf or twig
Other Words from trace Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about trace

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Other Words from trace

Noun (1)

traceless \ ˈtrās-​ləs How to pronounce traceless (audio) \ adjective

Verb

traceability \ ˌtrā-​sə-​ˈbi-​lə-​tē How to pronounce traceability (audio) \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for trace

Noun (1)

trace, vestige, track mean a perceptible sign made by something that has passed. trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect. the killer left no traces vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone. boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age track implies a continuous line that can be followed. the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

Examples of trace in a Sentence

Verb

 The children traced their hands onto the sidewalk with chalk. You can put a piece of paper over the pattern and trace it. She traced the letters of her name. We will need to trace the electrical wires through the walls. The word “amiable” traces back to the Latin word for “friend.”
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First Known Use of trace

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for trace

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tracer to trace

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French tracer, from Vulgar Latin *tractiare to drag, from Latin tractus, past participle of trahere to pull

Noun (2)

Middle English trais, from Anglo-French tres, plural of trait pull, draft, trace — more at trait

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More Definitions for trace

trace

verb

English Language Learners Definition of trace

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