track down

find someone or something after a long or difficult search

B2

What does "track sb/sth down" mean?

To track down someone or something means to find them after putting in considerable time and effort — the search is never quick or simple. It suggests a process of following clues, making enquiries, or checking multiple sources before finally locating what you were looking for. You can track down people (a missing relative, a suspect), physical objects (a rare recording, an old document), or sources of information. What makes it distinctive is that it always implies the search was effortful; using it for something you found immediately would sound strange. Adverbs like 'finally', 'eventually', and phrases like 'managed to' or 'hard to' appear very naturally alongside it, reflecting that sense of persistence paying off.

Examples

How to use it

track down + noun object

The most common pattern, used when the object is a full noun phrase that follows the particle.

After months of searching, she finally managed to track down a copy of the original manuscript.

track + pronoun + down

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle — it cannot follow 'down'.

The journalist knew the whistleblower's name but took weeks to track him down.

track + short noun + down

Short noun phrases can also be placed between the verb and particle for natural-sounding separation.

We tracked the supplier down after contacting several industry contacts.

be tracked down + (by + agent)

The passive is common, especially when the focus is on the person or thing being found rather than who found them.

The missing files were eventually tracked down by the audit team.

hard / difficult / impossible to track down

This infinitive pattern is frequently used to describe how elusive someone or something is.

First editions of that book are incredibly hard to track down these days.

Common Collocations

track down a suspecttrack down the sourcetrack down a missing persontrack down a rare itemhard to track downfinally track down

Common Mistakes

Pronoun after the particle

When the object is a pronoun like 'him', 'her', or 'them', it must come between 'track' and 'down'. Placing it after the particle is ungrammatical.

✗ The detective managed to track down him within a few days.
✓ The detective managed to track him down within a few days.
Using it for easy or quick searches

'Track down' always implies a search that took effort or time. Using it for something found quickly or easily sounds unnatural.

✗ I tracked down his phone number — it was right there in the directory.
✓ I looked up his phone number — it was right there in the directory.
Confusing it with 'hunt down'

'Hunt down' suggests an aggressive or hostile pursuit and is mainly used for people. 'Track down' is neutral and works equally well for people, objects, and sources of information.

✗ She spent the summer hunting down rare vinyl records for her collection.
✓ She spent the summer tracking down rare vinyl records for her collection.

Usage

This phrasal verb is neutral in register and equally common in speaking and writing. It always implies the search took effort or time, so avoid using it for simple, quick searches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'track down' mean the search was always successful?

It strongly implies success, or at least near-success. Unlike 'look for', which simply describes an ongoing search, 'track down' suggests you eventually found what you were after. If you want to describe a search that failed, you would typically say something like 'tried to track down' or 'couldn't track down'.

Can 'track down' be used for information, not just people or objects?

Yes, but with a nuance. The object should be something you can locate in the world — a source, a document, an address, a lead. It doesn't work as naturally when the object is a bare fact or abstract piece of information, where 'find out' would be the better choice. For example, 'track down the source' is natural, but 'track down why it happened' sounds awkward.

Can I use 'track down' in the present continuous, like 'I am tracking down…'?

It can work, but only if you're describing an active, ongoing investigation or effort — for example, a detective who is currently in the middle of a search. For most everyday contexts, it sounds slightly unnatural in the present continuous. The simple past, present perfect, or infinitive (after 'manage to' or a modal) are much more common.

Is 'track down' used in both British and American English?

Yes, it's equally common on both sides of the Atlantic. It appears in everyday conversation, journalism, crime fiction, and police reports in both varieties of English, with no significant regional difference in meaning or frequency.

What kinds of objects most commonly follow 'track down'?

The range is broad — people (a suspect, a witness, a missing relative), physical items (a rare book, an original recording, a document), and sources (a supplier, a lead, an address). The common thread is that the object is something concrete and locatable, and that finding it required persistence.

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