I. fer ‧ ret 1 /ˈferət, ˈferɪt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: furet , from Latin fur 'thief' ]
a small animal with a pointed nose, used to hunt rats and rabbits
II. ferret 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
1 . [always + adverb/preposition] informal to search for something that is lost or hidden among a lot of things or inside a drawer, box etc
ferret around/round/about
He started ferreting around in his desk.
ferret for
She ferreted in her bag for a pen.
2 . to hunt rats and rabbits using a ferret
ferret somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . to succeed in finding something such as a piece of information, that is difficult to find:
It’s been difficult for reporters to ferret out the facts in this case.
Uncle Vernon ferreted out the laundry box from under the stairs.
2 . American English to find and usually get rid of someone who is causing a problem:
The new program is meant to ferret out problem cops.