Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🚔 To force out 🔍 To find by searching
to rout out

to rout out

5.5
To find something after a careful search
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : localizar
  • She managed to rout out the recipe her grandmother used to make.

Examples

  • He routed out the missing files from the back of the drawer just in time.

  • The old documents were finally routed out from the attic after hours of searching.

  • Can you rout out the missing documents?

  • We need to rout out the truth!

  • The detectives worked tirelessly to rout out the hidden documents from the suspect's home.

  • After hours of searching, they finally managed to rout out the lost keys from under the couch.

  • She decided to rout out the truth about the missing money through detailed investigation.

Synonyms

to track down
vsto rout out
212 3.3

To search for someone or something until you find them

is broader, covering careful searches that may be more methodical
to hunt
vsto rout out
190 1.2

To look carefully for something or someone

focuses more on completing a thorough search and actually finding it
to hunt down
vsto rout out
148 3.9

Search for and find someone or something after a lot of effort

covers searching and finding but with less emphasis on success struggle
to seek out
vsto rout out
122 3.0

Look for and find a person or thing, often with effort

is similar but can apply to any careful search, not only specific targets
to comb
vsto rout out
66 3.3

To search a place very carefully to find something

is equally careful but used more generally for any thorough search
to scour
vsto rout out
57 5.1

To search a place carefully to find someone or something

matches this depth but is more common as a conversational phrasal verb
to unearth
vsto rout out
23 4.4

To find hidden facts or things by careful searching

is the everyday phrasal expression for the same searching and finding
to ferret out
vsto rout out
  • Informal
13 6.7

To search carefully to find hidden facts or documents

is similar but emphasizes a normal thorough search rather than persistence
to leave no stone unturned
vsto rout out
  • Informal
8 4.4

Try every possible way and search everywhere to achieve a goal

expresses the same thoroughness but is a less literal action phrase
to trawl
vsto rout out
4 4.6

To search carefully through a large area or collection

is similar but not limited to large areas or collections
to cast about
vsto rout out
3 7.2

To look around or think hard to find something you need

is like that but usually describes calmer, thorough searching
to cast around
vsto rout out
1 5.6

To look in a worried way for an idea or solution

is similar but less anxious and more steady in approach
to look high and low
vsto rout out
  • Informal
1 3.9

To search everywhere for something that is lost

shares exhaustive search idea but is a shorter, everyday phrasal form
to nose out
vsto rout out
  • Informal
1 6.9

Find something after careful searching

is similar but more often used for general searching and finding
to rout up
vsto rout out
  • UK
8.4

Find something after searching carefully

is the same idea but stated as a general phrasal action
to ferret around
vsto rout out
  • Informal
7.4

To search carefully through things in a small place like a bag or box

is like that but implies a more focused, goal‑directed search

Antonyms

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Thorough

to rout out
  • UK
5.5
to ransack
38 6.3
to scour
57 5.1
to rummage
35 3.8
to search
∞ 1.0
to scan
127 2.7
to look
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

rout out infinitive
routed out past
routed out past participle
routing out present participle
routs out third person singular

Morphology

rout + out

The sense 'search for and find (after a thorough search)' is partially built from a digging/search sense of 'rout' combined with the completive particle 'out', so there is a motivated link to the constituents. However, 'rout' in this meaning is rare and easily confused with the more common verb 'root', and the exact collocational sense is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Rout out may also come from the same image used for things. Picture someone searching through boxes and shaking a drawer until the lost item comes out; that's why rout out can mean 'to search for and find something after a careful search'.