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Collocations for trace - noun

1. mark/sign that shows sb/sth happened/existed

ADJ.

archaeological, historical | indelible, permanent | memory
(technical)

VERB + TRACE

leave
The burglar had left several traces of his presence. | Little trace is left of how Stone Age people lived.
bear, reveal, show | discover, find
The search party had found no trace of the missing climbers.
obliterate, remove
Remove all traces of rust with a small wire brush.
disappear/sink/vanish without
The ship seems to have sunk without trace.

TRACE + VERB

remain
Traces still remain of the long-defunct Surrey Iron Railway.

PREP.

with/without a ~ of sth
‘No thanks,’ she said, with a trace of irritation in her voice.
without ~
The plane was lost without a trace over the Atlantic.

2. very small amount of sth

ADJ.

discernible, faint, minute, slight, small, tiny
There was not the faintest trace of irony in her voice.
unmistakable

VERB + TRACE

contain
The water was found to contain traces of sulphuric acid.
detect, find

TRACE + NOUN

amount | element, gas, metal, mineral
Kelp is rich in vitamins and trace elements.

PREP.

~ of
a trace of amusement/anxiety/a smile

Collocations for trace - verb

1. find out where sth is/where it comes from

ADV.

successfully

VERB + TRACE

be able/unable to, can
Police have been unable to trace her movements during her final days.
attempt to, try to | help (to) | fail to | be difficult to | be possible to

PREP.

to
The stolen paintings have been successfully traced to a London warehouse.

2. find/describe the cause/origin of sth

ADV.

carefully | easily
Words have over the centuries acquired meanings not easily traced in dictionaries.
directly | historically | back

VERB + TRACE

can | attempt to, try to | be difficult to
The origins of the custom are difficult to trace.
be possible to

PREP.

to
The book traces the history of the game back to an incident in 1863.

3. mark where the line of sth is with a thin object

ADV.

lightly

PREP.

with
She lightly traced the outline of his face with her finger.

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