called also ferreting
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Ferret as a Verb
Since the 14th century, English speakers have used ferret as the name of a small domesticated animal of the weasel family. The word came to us by way of Anglo-French and can be traced back to Latin fur, meaning "thief." These days ferrets are often kept as pets, but previously they were used to hunt rabbits, rats, and other vermin, and to drive them from their underground burrows. By the 15th century, the verb ferret was being used of the action of hunting with ferrets. By the late 16th century, the verb had taken on figurative uses as well. Today, we most frequently encounter the verb ferret in the sense of "to find and bring to light by searching."
Synonyms
Examples of ferret in a Sentence
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023
So instead, researchers expose guinea pigs, rats, mice or ferrets, depending on the pathogen.
—Tara C. Smith, Quanta Magazine, 27 Sep. 2023
Keep cats and ferrets indoors, and dogs under your supervision.
Spay or neuter your pets.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 17 Aug. 2023
Utah law requires pet dogs, cats and ferrets to be immunized against the virus.
—Jordan Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Sep. 2023
Over the years, the family has housed ferrets, horses, chickens, a Bernese Mountain Dog, a cat, fish and rabbits in addition to the bearded dragon that Carson eventually added to the collection.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
Farmers and other residents brought vegetables — cabbage, apples, pears and pumpkins — and hay to feed a menagerie that included two monkeys, Anfisa and Charlie, a pony named Malish, a mule, a parrot, a crow, a groundhog, guinea pigs and ferrets.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
The grant says that studying the impacts of the frequencies on a human-like brain structure, such as a ferret or primate, is essential to a broader understanding.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 13 Mar. 2023
The results were similar in tests on ferrets, fueling hopes the universal vaccine could work in humans, too. 5.
—Harold Maass, The Week, 28 Apr. 2023
Chase Difeliciantonio, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Nov. 2021
The incentive to ferret them out has only increased; Putin has recently made several appeals for the F.S.B. to be on alert for those seeking to undermine and destabilize the Russian state.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2023
There, researcher and Biological Dynamics founder Raj Krishnan, figured out how to use alternating current to ferret out very small bio-markers from blood and other liquid solutions.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2023
And so do many in the corporate world, despite the thorough process of background checks, personal references and verification that seeks to ferret out fabrications.
—Matthew Boyle, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2023
The chances of a teacher being able to ferret out that the essay was written by AI and not by the student are nearly next to zero. Scandalous!
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2022
So Parker poses as a secretary — too-tight pencil skirts and all — at Strange Crime, hoping to ferret out clues.
—Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022
New rules and enforcement actions are coming to ferret out crypto transactions that often went unreported in the past.
—Laura Saunders, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Their targets are identified by campaign staff who rely on demographic research and polling to ferret out potential supporters among undecided Latinos, Asians and independents.
—Michael R. Blood, ajc, 10 Oct. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ferret.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (1)
Middle English furet, ferret, from Anglo-French firet, furet, from Vulgar Latin *furittus, literally, little thief, diminutive of Latin fur thief — more at furtive
Noun (2)
probably modification of Italian fioretti floss silk, from plural of fioretto, diminutive of fiore flower, from Latin flor-, flos — more at blow
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun (2)
1649, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing ferret
Articles Related to ferret
Dictionary Entries Near ferret
Cite this Entry
“Ferret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ferret. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
ferret
1 of 2 noun
ferret
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on ferret
Nglish: Translation of ferret for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ferret for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ferret
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