1
as in to define
to draw or make apparent the outline of
trace your hand onto this piece of paper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to track
to go after or on the track of
police traced the burglar back to his apartment, where they discovered a ton of stolen loot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in trail
a mark or series of marks left on a surface by something that has passed along it
the wolf came and went without leaving a trace on the hard, dry ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in road
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel
an old trace that dates back to the days of the covered wagon
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in path
a rough course or way formed by or as if by repeated footsteps
stay on the trace, or you'll get lost in these thick woods
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in relic
a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished
a ship that appears to have vanished without a trace on the high seas
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in shred
a very small amount
doctors detected only a trace of bacteria in the blood sample but put the patient on antibiotics just in case
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in hint
an almost imperceptible sign of something
there didn't seem to be so much as a trace of the truth to anything he said
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of trace
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The Mineral Belt Trail traces old mining routes and railroad beds, passing historic sites, rivers, and wetlands.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Christine Persaud, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
During fermentation, the live cultures consume most of the sugar, leaving behind beneficial probiotics, organic acids, and trace amounts of natural sugar.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trace
Verb
Premiering on October 27, the series will include four hour-long episodes featuring interviews with astronauts and people working or living with the space program, tracing the journey of humans in space over the past 50 years.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The Mineral Belt Trail traces old mining routes and railroad beds, passing historic sites, rivers, and wetlands.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
The test can detect trace amounts of minerals and toxic metals in their system, providing information at levels even smaller than a traditional blood test can find.
—Christine Persaud, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
During fermentation, the live cultures consume most of the sugar, leaving behind beneficial probiotics, organic acids, and trace amounts of natural sugar.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trace
Verb
-
The fallout from all this has defined an especially dramatic week in Spanish football.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Its artistic yet pragmatic nature also defines Valladolid’s role as a place of discovery platform, a prestige auteurs’ hub just weeks after San Sebastián — and a bridge for awards-season exposure.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Leny Yoro trailed Minteh having advanced while tracking Joao Pedro, who had also moved into midfield.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
How a dinosaur becomes a ‘mummy’ To gain a better understanding of the creature, a team at the University of Chicago led by anatomist Paul Sereno tracked down the historical locations of previous dinosaur finds in east central Wyoming.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Located on the western end of Palomar Mountain in San Diego’s North County, the 1,862-acre park is an alpine paradise, offering hiking trails, fishing, campgrounds and a scenic overlook from an active fire lookout tower.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
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Potential and/or current uses for these trails include walking, jogging, biking and bird watching.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For the filmmakers working in the region over the past two years, it’s been a long, arduous road to reach audiences, as the war impacted their physical productions and made potential distributors wary of facing political backlash for releasing their films.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Gripen fighters have the reputation of being relatively cheap and easy to maintain and arm, and able to operate in austere conditions – using roads or even dirt roads for runways.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Or choose the petty path and appeal it which we were prepared for.—
John Lynch,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
-
But the objects in question are not only just asteroids, but also instead orbit the sun, following an almost exact path as Earth while always remaining close by.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Step into a time warp of vintage gas pumps, racing memorabilia, and unusual roadside relics at Mendenhall’s Museum.—
Maggie Downs,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Eight other jewels - all relics of France's imperial history - remain missing.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The shred of good news is that this might finally get Kate into the White House, since Grace Penn (Allison Janney) is looking for a VP.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
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Walston ripped up the card and let the shreds fall on Penn.—
Cameron Crowe,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But in an interview with Texas Monthly, Crenn offered some hints as to what diners might expect.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Mekhai Lee Emotionally impactful and technically impressive, THEM THAT’S NOT is a gratifying story ripe with moments of joy, a hint of mystery, and an earnest, heartwarming climactic scene.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trace. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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