แกะรอย

Explanation

แกะรอย combines แกะ, which can mean to loosen, remove, or work something out, with รอย, meaning a mark or trace. The expression gives the sense of piecing together a trail. Common objects include criminals, animals, sources of information, problems, and cases. A common pattern is แกะรอย + target, or แกะรอย + target + จาก + clue/source.

Usage

It is used in contexts such as police tracking a criminal, hunters following animal tracks, reporters tracing the origin of a rumor or case, or investigators using logs and records to find the cause of a problem.

Caution

Do not use it for simply walking behind someone, following someone on social media, or keeping up with a schedule. In those cases, ตาม or ติดตาม is usually more natural.

1 trace synonyms

• ติดตาม

  ติดตาม is a broad word for following, tracking, or keeping up with something. แกะรอย specifically means tracing through clues or evidence.

• สะกดรอยตาม

  sàkòt rɔɔy taam secretly follow

  สะกดรอยตาม is often used for secretly tailing someone. แกะรอย is more about tracing a path or lead from footprints, records, or evidence.

• สืบหา

  sʉ̀ʉp hǎa search for through investigation

  สืบหา means to investigate and search for something. แกะรอย puts more emphasis on following a trail of traces or clues.