Definition

1. Verb:
   • To search thoroughly and intensively: "lùng sục" describes the action of searching every corner or area meticulously and persistently, often with the intent to find something or someone specific.
   • To rummage or scour: It implies a vigorous, sometimes frantic, search through places, often turning things over or looking into every possible hiding spot.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cảnh sát đang lùng sục khắp khu rừng để tìm tên tội phạm. (The police are scouring the entire forest to find the criminal.)
  • Tôi phải lùng sục trong ngăn kéo để tìm chìa khóa. (I had to rummage through the drawer to find the key.)
  • Bọn trẻ lùng sục khắp nhà để tìm món quà giấu kín. (The children rummaged all over the house to find the hidden gift.)

Advanced Usage

• "lùng sục cho bằng được": to search relentlessly until something is found.

  • Anh ta quyết tâm lùng sục cho bằng được sự thật. (He is determined to scour for the truth until he finds it.)

• "bị lùng sục": to be hunted/searched for intensively.

  • Tên trộm đang bị cảnh sát lùng sục. (The thief is being hunted intensively by the police.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lùng (verb): to hunt/search for (often for people). This is a simpler, more general term for searching.

  • Cảnh sát đang lùng bọn buôn lậu. (The police are hunting for the smugglers.)

• Sục (verb): This word on its own can mean to poke, probe, or stir vigorously, contributing to the intensive connotation in the compound "lùng sục".

Synonyms

• Tìm kiếm kỹ lưỡng: to search meticulously.
• Lục lọi: to rummage (through things). This is very close in meaning but often focuses more on searching through containers or piles of items.
• Săn lùng: to hunt down (often for people or animals).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a single verb, "lùng sục" does not commonly form phrasal verbs with other particles. Its meaning is typically complete.

Related Idioms

• Lùng sục như lùng sắt vụn: To search as if looking for scrap iron (an idiom emphasizing a very thorough, perhaps desperate or overly meticulous search).
  • Nó lùng sục trong phòng như lùng sắt vụn. (He rummaged through the room as if looking for scrap iron.)

1. Scour, rummage
   • Lùng sục khắp nơi
     To rummage everywhere