ferrets

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of ferret.

   The ferrets squeezed through a narrow gap beneath the fence.

   Hunters once used ferrets to drive rabbits out of their burrows.

   Note

   A regular plural that gathers several nouns under one spelling. Most often it means the weasel-like animals descended from the polecat and trained to hunt burrowing game, or their black-footed relatives. Figuratively, it can mean diligent searchers. In older writing, ferrets can also be lengths of silk or cotton tape used to tie documents or edge fabric. The same spelling serves as the present-tense verb, so context decides between creatures and action.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of ferret.

   The journalist ferrets out hidden details buried in public records.

   My terrier ferrets around the garden whenever it smells something interesting.

   Note

   Here the verb agrees with a single subject: I ferret, but she ferrets. It has two lives. Literally, a person ferrets when hunting game with ferrets. More broadly, someone ferrets out what is hidden, and the particle out usually comes along. The verb works with or without an object: she ferrets out the truth, or he simply ferrets about in a drawer until something turns up.

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