Phrasal verb
ferret out
Definition
phrasal verb. to find something that is hidden or difficult to discover by searching very carefully.
phrasal verb. to discover or bring to light something through persistent and diligent searching; often used when the information or object is intentionally concealed.
Examples
“The journalist tried to ferret out the truth about the scandal.”
“It took the investigators several months to ferret out the evidence needed to prove the fraud.”
“Historians spent years in the national archives attempting to ferret out the original correspondence between the two diplomats.”
Examples
simple
“The journalist tried to ferret out the truth about the scandal.”
contextual
“It took the investigators several months to ferret out the evidence needed to prove the fraud.”
complex
“Historians spent years in the national archives attempting to ferret out the original correspondence between the two diplomats.”
Usage
usually followed by an object like 'the truth', 'information', or 'facts'.
Teaching tip
anchor the meaning by explaining that ferrets are small animals used to hunt and drive rabbits out of their holes; this helps learners visualize the 'searching and pulling out' action.
Pitfall
She ferreted the secret out.
She ferreted out the secret.
while technically separable, 'ferret out' is almost always used in its joined form before the object in modern English.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
ferret + out + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ferret-out