tracer

A bullet that leaves a visible burning line behind it when fired.

• A tracer lit up the sky.
• The soldiers fired tracers across the field.
• Each tracer showed the gunner where the bullets were going.

Similar words: tracer bullet, tracer round

Common phrases: tracer round, tracer ammunition, fire a tracer

Someone who follows clues, tracks movements, or copies the lines of a drawing.

• The tracer found his new address.
• A skilled tracer copied the map's outlines.
• The company hired tracers to locate people who owed money.

How to use it: tracer of someone/something (She works as a tracer of missing relatives.)

Common phrases: debt tracer, professional tracer, tracer of something

The process of following something's movements or investigating where it has gone.

• The tracer is still in progress.
• A tracer on the missing shipment revealed a wrong address.
• The company completed its tracer after checking every delivery record.

How to use it: tracer on something (The office began a tracer on the missing parcel.)

Similar words: tracking, investigation

Common phrases: tracer on something, conduct a tracer

A request to find out where a person or object, such as a missing package, has gone.

• Please send a tracer for my package.
• The carrier received three tracers for missing shipments.
• Have you filed a tracer with the delivery company?

How to use it: tracer for someone/something (We filed a tracer for the missing parcel.)

Similar words: tracing request

Common phrases: send a tracer, file a tracer, tracer for something