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fouiller — meaning in English

French → English · translate English → French instead

English meaning

  • delve verb To search thoroughly into something, especially information or a topic, in order to learn more.
  • forage verb To search for food, especially in the wild.
  • frisk verb To search someone by running your hands over their body and clothing, usually checking for hidden items.
  • pry verb To inquire into someone else's private affairs in a nosy or unwelcome way.
  • rake noun A garden tool with a row of teeth on a long handle, used to gather leaves or debris or to smooth soil.
  • ransack verb To search a place thoroughly and roughly, often leaving it in disorder.
  • research noun Careful, systematic study of a subject to discover or confirm facts.
  • rummage verb To search through something messily, moving things aside carelessly.
  • scan verb To look over something quickly, often searching for particular information.
  • search verb To look carefully in order to find someone or something.

Senses

fouiller is used for these senses in English:

  • delve (ambitransitive) To search thoroughly and carefully for information, research, dig into, penetrate, fathom, trace out
  • forage To rummage.
  • frisk (transitive) To search (someone) by feeling their body and clothing.
  • rake (ambitransitive, figurative) To search through (thoroughly).
  • ransack (transitive) To make a vigorous and thorough search of (a place, person) with a view to stealing something, especially when leaving behind a state of disarray.
  • research (intransitive) To make an extensive investigation into.
  • scan (transitive) To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely. [from 16th C.]

delve — full definition

  1. verb To search thoroughly into something, especially information or a topic, in order to learn more.
  2. verb To dig into the ground.

forage — full definition

  1. verb To search for food, especially in the wild.
  2. noun Food gathered for livestock, such as hay or grazed grass.

Related French words