I have been tracking down vs I have been tracing

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'I have been tracking down' is commonly used when searching for something or someone, while 'I have been tracing' is used when following a path, line, or course of action. The choice between the two depends on the specific context of the sentence.

Last updated: March 20, 2024 • 1008 views

I have been tracking down

This phrase is correct and commonly used when searching for something or someone.

This phrase is used when actively searching for something or someone, trying to locate them.

Examples:

I have been tracking down the source of the issue for days.
She has been tracking down her long-lost relatives.
The detective has been tracking down the criminal for months.

Show examples from the web [+]

Feb 17, 2015 ... I have been tracking down our young Stories that Move participants, trying to learn what they have been up to since the International Youth ...
Aug 24, 2015 ... I have been tracking down our young Stories that Move participants, trying to learn what they have been up to since the International Youth ...
Since October 2005, I have been tracking down original issues of these series, but it's going to be a long process. (See my current want list below.) ...
Dec 4, 2015 ... TweetBufferI have been trying to get a Vaadin JPA application running and ran into a very vague error message that I have been tracking down.

Alternatives:

I have been searching for
I have been looking for
I have been hunting for

I have been tracing

This phrase is correct and commonly used when following a path, line, or course of action.

This phrase is used when following a path, line, or course of action, often in a literal or figurative sense.

Examples:

I have been tracing the outline of the map.
She has been tracing her family history.
The artist has been tracing the lines of the landscape.

Show examples from the web [+]

a. A visible mark, such as a footprint, made or left by the passage of a person, animal, or thing. b. Evidence or an indication of the former presence or existence of ...
Jan 31, 2014 ... “I have been tracing my roots on my mother's side for a number of years. They hail from Middlesex County, Va., home of the senior Honorable ...
Jan 1, 2014 ... I have been tracing Danish ancestors of a family and I will give you some of the things that I have run into and how you can find the answers if ...
Nov 7, 2015 ... I have been tracing the genealogy and history of my family since 2012. I am researching both my paternal and maternal lines. View Full Profile ...

Alternatives:

I have been following
I have been mapping
I have been charting

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I have been tracking down vs I have been tracing