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rastrear

to track, to trace

verb rras-treh-AHR Rare

Also means

to scan, to sweep (electronically)

Usage Note

Rastrear comes from rastro (trail, trace) and means to follow a trail, whether physically (tracking an animal or person) or digitally (tracing a signal or data). El Rastro is also the name of Madrid's famous flea market. The related noun rastreo is used in technology for scanning or monitoring processes.

Examples

"La policía rastreó las llamadas del sospechoso."

Natural Translation

The police traced the suspect's calls.

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