Tracer may refer to:

Science

Flow tracer A flow tracer is any fluid property used to track flow, magnitude, direction, and circulation patterns. Tracers can be chemical properties, such as radioactive material, or chemical compounds, physical properties, such as density, temperature, ...

, any fluid property used to track fluid motion * Fluorescent tracer, a substance such as

2-NBDG 2-NBDG is a fluorescent tracer used for monitoring glucose uptake into living cells; it consists of a glucosamine molecule substituted with a 7-nitrobenzofurazan fluorophore at its amine group. It is widely referred to a fluorescent derivative o ...

containing a fluorophore that is used for tracking purposes *

Histochemical tracer A histochemical tracer is a compound used to reveal the location of cells and track neuronal projections. A neuronal tracer may be retrograde, anterograde, or work in both directions. A retrograde tracer is taken up in the terminal of the neuron an ...

, a substance used for tracing purposes in histochemistry, the study of the composition of cells and tissues *

Isotopic tracer Isotopic labeling (or isotopic labelling) is a technique used to track the passage of an isotope (an atom with a detectable variation in neutron count) through a reaction, metabolic pathway, or cell. The reactant is 'labeled' by replacing specif ...

, a substance with an isotope that has been enriched to a greater level than that found in nature *

Radioactive tracer A radioactive tracer, radiotracer, or radioactive label is a chemical compound in which one or more atoms have been replaced by a radionuclide so by virtue of its radioactive decay it can be used to explore the mechanism of chemical reactions by t ...

, a substance containing a radioisotope that is used for tracking purposes *

TRACER (cosmic ray detector) Transition Radiation Array for Cosmic Energetic Radiation (TRACER) is a balloon flown cosmic ray detector built and designed at the University of Chicago. The detector is designed to measure the energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei with atomic numb ...

(Transition Radiation Array for Cosmic Energetic Radiation), a balloon-borne cosmic ray detector * Tracers, a colloquialism for visual trailing, often experienced in connection with drug use * TRACERS (

Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) is a planned orbiter mission tasked to study the origins of the solar wind and how it affects Earth. The Principal Investigator is Craig Kletzing at the University ...

), a pair of orbiters to study the origins of the solar wind and how it affects Earth

Military

* Tracers,

tracer ammunition Tracer ammunition (AMO) (Tracers) are bullets or cannon-caliber projectiles that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. When fired, the pyrotechnic composition is ignited by the burning powder and burns very brightly, making th ...

, special bullets that burn brightly to enable the shooter to follow the bullets' trajectories *

Tactical reconnaissance and counter-concealment-enabled radar The United States Army tactical reconnaissance and counter-concealment-enabled radar – TRACER is a mid-range, long wavelength synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system that provides all-weather persistent surveillance developed by the United States A ...

(TRACER), a radar system developed by the United States Army *

Grumman E-1 Tracer The Grumman E-1 Tracer was the first purpose-built airborne early warning aircraft used by the United States Navy. It was a derivative of the Grumman C-1 Trader and entered service in 1958. It was replaced by the more modern Grumman E-2 Hawkeye ...

, a carrier-borne early warning aircraft used by the United States Navy in the 1960s *

Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment Requirement The American Future Scout and Cavalry System (FSCS) and British Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment Requirement (TRACER) were a joint U.S.–British reconnaissance vehicle program. The program was begun to replace the UK's Sabre and S ...

, a joint British–American scout vehicle

Arts and entertainment

Music

Tracer (band) Tracer were an Australian rock trio formed in Adelaide in 2004 by Leigh Brown on bass guitar and backing vocals, his brother Michael Brown on guitar and lead vocals, and Andre Wise on drums. Leigh left in 2012 and Jett Heysen Hicks joined on bas ...

, an Australian rock band * ''Tracer'' (album), a 2012 album by Teengirl Fantasy * "Tracers", song by Ash (band) from '' A-Z, Vol.1'' 2010 * "Tracers", song by Miracle Fortress from '' Was I the Wave?'' 2011 * "Tracers", song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra from ''

Night Castle ''Night Castle'' is the fifth rock opera by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It was released on October 28, 2009 as a double CD with a 60-page booklet illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt, and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard charts and No. 1 on the ...

'' 2009

Films

* ''Tracer'' (film), a 2016 Vietnamese film * ''Tracers'' (film), a 2015 American film

Video games

* ''Tracer'' (game), a 1995 action-puzzle video game * ''Tracer'', a 1976 Sega arcade video game * Tracer, leader of the Eliminators in '' The Warriors'' * Tracer (''Overwatch''), a player character from the video games ''Overwatch'' and ''Heroes of the Storm'' * Tracer Tong, a character from the video game series ''

Deus Ex ''Deus Ex'' is a series of role-playing video games, set during the mid 21st century. Focusing on the conflict between secretive factions who wish to control the world by proxy, and the effects of transhumanistic attitudes and technologies in a ...

Comics and comic strips

Tracer (DC Comics) Tracer is the name of two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Justice League Europe'' #16 (July 1990), and was created by Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones and Bart Sears. Like the rest of the Extremists he is based on a ...

, a DC Comics character *

Tracer (Marvel Comics) Tracer is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man. His first appearance was in ''Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1''. Fic ...

, a Marvel Comics supervillain * Tracer Bullet, one of Calvin's alter egos in ''Calvin and Hobbes''

Television

* ''Tracer'' (TV series), a 2022 South Korean television series

Transportation

Mercury Tracer The Mercury Tracer is an automobile manurfactured and marketed by Ford's Mercury division for model years 1987-1999, over three generations in three- and five-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and five-door station wagon configurations. The fir ...

, an automobile *

Tracer (bus) Tracer is the public bus system for the city of Tracy, California. Unique among transit agencies, since 2002 the service operates as free public transport every April and December. Operations The service provides seven circulator routes. The buse ...

, the bus system for Tracy, California