Synonyms of trace

trace 1 of 2

verb

1

as in to define

to draw or make apparent the outline of

trace your hand onto this piece of paper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• define
• outline
• sketch
• delineate
• circle
• trim
• silhouette
• line
• surround
• bound
• round
• draw
• margin
• frame
• loop
• fringe
• edge
• rim
• encircle
• hem
• ring
• chart
• skirt
• map (out)
• compass
• diagram
• girth
• girdle

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

• track
• chase
• pursue
• follow
• course
• accompany
• tail
• escort
• trail
• dog
• shadow
• run after
• run
• tag
• watch
• hound
• seek
• hunt
• bird-dog
• observe
• eye
• search (for)
• chaperone

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lead
• guide
• pilot
• head

trace

2 of 2

noun

ˈtrās 

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

• trail
• track
• footprint
• path
• residue
• residual
• sign
• imprint
• footstep
• reminder
• evidence
• step
• tread
• indication
• scent
• print
• clue
• remnant
• shadow
• artifact
• vestige
• rut
• token
• telltale
• hint
• footmark
• hoofprint
• inkling
• cue
• leavings
• remainder
• spoor
• intimation
• lead
• whiff
• pug
• relic
• suggestion
• remain(s)

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

• road
• route
• street
• highway
• thoroughfare
• freeway
• arterial
• roadway
• artery
• expressway
• carriageway
• boulevard
• way
• drive
• turnpike
• interstate
• pass
• avenue
• causeway
• row
• drag
• high road
• lane
• pike
• thruway
• trail
• motorway
• bypass
• track
• parkway
• corridor
• branch
• ring road
• superhighway
• circle
• Main Street
• alley
• switchback
• through street
• side street
• side road
• autobahn
• secondary road
• byway
• beltway
• close
• dual carriageway
• high street
• alleyway
• dead end
• place
• crossroad
• autoroute
• autostrada
• shunpike
• corniche
• backstreet
• bystreet
• mews
• laneway
• cul-de-sac

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

• trail
• path
• footpath
• pathway
• track
• road
• walkway
• route
• street
• passageway
• roadway
• shortcut
• thoroughfare
• bridle path
• pass
• alley
• cutoff
• run
• alleyway
• lane
• bypath
• passage
• byway
• row
• towpath
• runway
• byroad
• bystreet

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

• relic
• vestige
• artifact
• echo
• shadow
• remnant
• ghost
• reminder
• memento
• corpse
• residue
• remembrance
• remain(s)
• rest
• residual
• afterimage
• remainder
• aftertaste
• leftover
• scrap
• leavings
• hangover
• balance
• dreg(s)
• oddment

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

• shred
• hint
• glimmer
• speck
• touch
• sprinkling
• splash
• bit
• lick
• little
• particle
• spark
• dab
• tad
• handful
• spatter
• ray
• scintilla
• smell
• suspicion
• sliver
• streak
• fleck
• smidgen
• ounce
• smack
• spot
• scruple
• portion
• shadow
• crumb
• strain
• pinch
• drop
• shade
• dram
• dash
• nip
• minimum
• soupçon
• drop in the bucket
• peanuts
• mite
• bite
• vestige
• grain
• ace
• snap
• part
• dose
• driblet
• semblance
• taste
• molecule
• jot
• fragment
• whit
• syllable
• patch
• iota
• dot
• modicum
• skosh
• scrap
• section
• mote
• nibble
• atom
• granule
• scattering
• tittle
• smattering
• morsel
• splinter
• minim
• flake
• hoot
• flyspeck
• chip
• shard
• clipping
• shiver
• paring
• shaving
• nubbin
• smatter
• tatter
• smithereens
• shot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quantity
• loads
• wealth
• stack
• mass
• mountain
• pile
• plenty
• lot
• mess
• abundance
• deal
• bundle
• bucket
• heaps
• raft
• barrel
• volume
• profusion
• reams
• bushel
• peck
• wad
• fistful
• excess
• surplus
• gobs
• lashings
• scads
• boatload
• oodles
• embarrassment
• much
• overflow
• slab
• passel
• potful
• surfeit
• chunk
• overabundance
• superfluity
• superabundance
• lump
• bonanza
• overage
• oversupply
• overmuch
• hunk
• overkill

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

• hint
• flicker
• touch
• glimmer
• breath
• suggestion
• whiff
• sign
• evidence
• scent
• indication
• tang
• wind
• inkling
• intimation
• mark

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• saturation
• permeation
• pervasion

7

as in footstep

the mark or impression made by a foot

followed the traces of the deer into the deep woods

Synonyms & Similar Words

• footstep
• footprint
• vestige
• step
• footmark
• track
• tread
• hoofprint
• spoor
• pug

Synonym Chooser

How is the word trace distinct from other similar nouns?

The words track and vestige are common synonyms of trace. While all three words mean "a perceptible sign made by something that has passed," trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

When could track be used to replace trace?

The synonyms track and trace are sometimes interchangeable, but track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

When might vestige be a better fit than trace?

The words vestige and trace can be used in similar contexts, but vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

How is the word trace distinct from other similar nouns?

The words track and vestige are common synonyms of trace. While all three words mean "a perceptible sign made by something that has passed," trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect.

the killer left no traces

When could track be used to replace trace?

The synonyms track and trace are sometimes interchangeable, but track implies a continuous line that can be followed.

the fossilized tracks of dinosaurs

When might vestige be a better fit than trace?

The words vestige and trace can be used in similar contexts, but vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

boulders that are vestiges of the last ice age

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of trace

Verb

This madness traces straight back to Khan’s war on companies — from soda bottlers to tech giants and even Uber-Lyft driver pay deals. —Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026

The show’s scope is epic, beginning with Adams’ legal career in prerevolutionary Boston and tracing his life and American history until his retirement and death in 1826. —David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 2026

Noun

Early findings suggest that certain experiences cause synapses, the gaps between neurons where dendrites extend, to be tagged with elusive biochemical signatures called eligibility traces. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026

At night, there is very little light pollution, with minimal lighting used beyond the glow of the tents, and the property tried its best to operate on a leave no trace mindset, with little construction having taken place beyond the original structure that has sat here for over a century. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026