trace
/treɪs/(verb)
AWL Sublist 6CEFR B2IELTS Band 7.0 - 9.0
Academic Definition
To find or discover by investigation; to follow the course or trail of; (noun) a mark, object, or other indication of the existence of something.
Key Academic Collocations
Click to copyWord Family & Derivatives
tracetraceabletracestracingtraced
Lexical Alternatives (Synonyms)
tracktraildelineatediscernremnant (as noun)
Academic Sample Sentences in Context
"The line graph traces the historical development of transatlantic maritime freight volume from 1850 to 2020."
"Epidemiologists traced the origin of the bacterial cholera outbreak to an unchlorinated municipal groundwater borehole."
"Laboratory chemical chromatography detected trace amounts of toxic organophosphate pesticides in suburban river sediment."
IELTS Examiner Scoring Strategy (Lexical Resource)
In Task 1: 'The line graph traces the progression of...' or 'can be traced back to the industrial revolution'.