look for (someone or something missing)
Native recording
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- 1 look for (someone or something missing)、search for、seek
Describes actively looking for a person, animal, thing, or other target whose whereabouts are unknown, often by following leads or searching over time.
look for (someone or something missing)、search for、seek
To search for a missing or hard-to-locate target, often by following clues, movements, or available information.
Learning notes
Explanation
ตามหา combines ตาม, “to follow or trace,” with หา, “to look for or seek.” It often implies more than checking the immediate area: the search may involve following clues, movements, or information to locate a target whose whereabouts are unknown. It is especially common with missing people, lost children, escaped pets, and unknown owners. The usual pattern is ตามหา + target. กำลังตามหา means “be looking for,” ไปตามหา means “go look for,” and ช่วยตามหา means “help look for.” It can also be used figuratively with things people pursue or seek, such as a dream or meaning in life.
Usage
Commonly used when searching for a missing person, lost child, missing pet, the owner of a lost item, or someone who has been out of contact for a long time. It is natural in everyday conversation, news reports, police searches, and social media requests for information.
Caution
ตามหา describes the act of searching and does not mean that the target was actually found. Use an expression such as หาเจอ when the result is “find” or “manage to find.” For a simple search nearby, such as looking for a pen on a desk, plain หา is usually more natural.
Differences from similar words
1 look for (someone or something missing) synonyms
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ค้นหา is commonly used for searching through information, data, or a source to find something. ตามหา is especially natural when trying to track down a missing person, animal, or another target with unknown whereabouts.
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หา is a broad verb used for looking for or obtaining something, and it also appears in expressions about finding work or earning money. ตามหา more specifically suggests tracking down a target whose whereabouts are unknown.