What does fouiller in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word fouiller in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use fouiller in French.

The word fouiller in French means search, rummage through, rummage about in, search, excavate, have (got) another think coming, search, dig, research, search your memory, search your mind. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word fouiller

search

verbe transitif (explorer [qch] à la recherche de [qch])

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
La police a fouillé le bureau et n'a rien trouvé.
The police searched the desk and found nothing.

rummage through, rummage about in

verbe intransitif (chercher dans un lieu en examinant à fond)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Avez-vous fouillé dans mon armoire ?
Have you been rummaging about in my wardrobe?

search

verbe transitif (inspecter les vêtements de [qqn]) (person, clothes)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
À la douane, les policiers fouillent les voyageurs.
At customs, officers search travellers.

excavate

verbe transitif (chercher [qch] en creusant le sol) (archaeology)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Un groupe de jeunes fouille les arènes gallo-romaines du village.
A group of young people is excavating the Gallo-Roman arena in the village.

have (got) another think coming

verbe pronominal (familier (espérer en vain) (informal)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tu voudrais bien savoir mais tu peux toujours te fouiller.
You'd really like to know wouldn't you? Well you can dream on.

search, dig

verbe intransitif (chercher dans son esprit) (figurative)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Elle fouille dans sa mémoire mais ne retrouve pas cette personne.
She searches her memory but cannot place this person.

research

verbe transitif (étudier avec soin) (information)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Pour sa thèse, il a vraiment fouillé la question.
For his thesis, he really researched the topic.

search your memory

locution verbale (essayer de se souvenir de [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

search your mind

locution verbale (chercher avec minutie dans sa mémoire)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of fouiller in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.