trace
- noun
- /treɪs/
- After searching the area thoroughly, they only found a faint trace of the missing hiker's presence.
- trace amounts
- trace elements
- trace metals
And within three weeks they were having difficulty finding any trace of cancer in my body.
- And within three weeks they were having difficulty finding any trace of cancer in my body.
- But maybe the single most lasting trace of the Viking Age is Kiev, right?
- There was no trace whatsoever of the Leatherman's body.
- So this foam cleanser really removes every trace of makeup.
- There's no memory, no traces still has to come right.
- Although we could have found traces of it in some remote locations.
- So we're going to find that there are like traces of some of these, right?
- Everybody was shooting with the see the traces, traces going.
Examples
-
I mean, there was still no trace of her anywhere.
-
No one has ever found a trace of Noonan Earhart or her Elektra.
-
However, neither such a source nor many traces of a campaign have been found.
Academic text (1999) -
What about the traces of radiation?
-
Her hair was coal black, and there was a trace of it above her full lips.
Fiction book (1991) -
They did find a trace of the stuff in there.
-
He left fresh traces behind.
-
His workers began to abandon him when many of their fellow workers reportedly disappeared without a trace.
-
Our temperament is the thing that will die with us, leaving traces only in the best work.
Academic text (2015) -
An old man appears on stage with traces of worry on his wrinkled face.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
A visible line, spot, scratch, or stain on a surface
A piece of evidence that helps solve a crime or problem
A visible sign left where a person or animal has passed
A feeling that something is less noticeable because of someone or something else
A very small amount of something you can taste, see, or feel
A small amount of something that you can notice
A faint memory or feeling from the past that affects you
A small sign that something is there
A lasting sign that someone or something was once present and had an effect
A small part that remains from something that once existed
A small amount of a feeling, like sadness or excitement
A small amount of a color or feeling that is easy to miss
Compounds
- Specialized
A very small amount of a metal or mineral the body needs to stay healthy
- Specialized
A way to find tiny amounts of explosives on bags using a cloth and a machine
- Specialized
A device that checks for tiny amounts of explosives at security checkpoints
- Specialized
A device that finds very small amounts of chemicals in air, water or on surfaces
- Specialized
A type of fortress design with many triangular outer walls that let defenders' guns cover each other
- Specialized
A tool that shows each step a computer program takes while it runs to find errors
How Much
Surface Forms
Etymology
Trace comes from the Latin root trahere 'to pull' and passed through Old French as a word for a 'track' or mark left behind. So a trace is a small sign or mark that shows something was once there.