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find

To find something means to discover it. When you're strolling through a green field, you might try to find a four-leaf clover.

You can find something deliberately, or by stumbling upon it, like when you find a five-dollar bill on the sidewalk. In this meaning, find means obtain, but it can also mean observe, such as when you find that reading in dim light gives you a headache. As a noun, find is the thing you discover, like your elephant costume, the best find in day of garage sale shopping.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: find

1
 vn
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
the act of discovering something
2
 v
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
3
 vn
come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds
a productive insight
4
 v
obtain through effort or management
5
 v
receive a specified treatment (abstract)
6
 v
succeed in reaching; arrive at
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: find
1

v discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

“We found traces of lead in the paint”
Synonyms:
detect, discover, notice, observe
discover
make a discovery, make a new finding
Types:
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catch out, find out
trap; especially in an error or in a reprehensible act
sense
detect some circumstance or entity automatically
instantiate
find an instance of (a word or particular usage of a word)
trace
discover traces of
see
observe as if with an eye
Type of:
sight, spy
catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes

v make a discovery, make a new finding

“Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle”
Synonyms:
discover
discover
make a discovery
ascertain, determine, find out
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
detect, discover, notice, observe
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
Type of:
conceive, conceptualise, conceptualize, gestate
have the idea for

v make a discovery

“She found that he had lied to her”
Synonyms:
discover
discover
make a discovery, make a new finding
Types:
rake up
bring to light
ferret, ferret out
search and discover through persistent investigation
Type of:
discover, find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up, see
get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

v establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

“find the product of two numbers”
“The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize”
Synonyms:
ascertain, determine, find out
ascertain, check, determine, find out, learn, see, watch
find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort
discover
make a discovery, make a new finding
Types:
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gauge
determine the capacity, volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation
translate
determine the amino-acid sequence of a protein during its synthesis by using information on the messenger RNA
rectify
math: determine the length of
redetermine
fix, find, or establish again
sequence
determine the order of constituents in
refract
determine the refracting power of (a lens)
count, enumerate, number, numerate
determine the number or amount of
admeasure
determine the quantity of someone's share
locate, situate
determine or indicate the place, site, or limits of, as if by an instrument or by a survey
recount
count again
miscount
count wrongly
census
conduct a census
add, add together, add up, sum, sum up, summate, tally, tot, tot up, total, tote up
determine the sum of
acquire
locate (a moving entity) by means of a tracking system such as radar
radiolocate
locate by means of radar
map
locate within a specific region of a chromosome in relation to known DNA or gene sequences
localise, localize, place
identify the location or place of
base
situate as a center of operations

n the act of discovering something

Synonyms:
discovery, uncovering
Types:
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tracing
the discovery and description of the course of development of something
catching, detection, espial, spotting, spying
the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
self-discovery
discovering your own individuality
breakthrough
making an important discovery
determination, finding
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
rediscovery
the act of discovering again
designation, identification
the act of designating or identifying something
resolution, solving
finding a solution to a problem
proof, substantiation, validation
the act of validating; finding or testing the truth of something
disproof, falsification, falsifying, refutal, refutation
the act of determining that something is false
fix, localisation, localization, locating, location
a determination of the place where something is
predetermination
the act of determining or ordaining in advance what is to take place
rectification
determination of the length of a curve; finding a straight line equal in length to a given curve
redetermination
determining again
Type of:
act, deed, human action, human activity
something that people do or cause to happen
2

v come upon, as if by accident; meet with

“We find this idea in Plato”
Synonyms:
bump, chance, encounter, happen

v perceive or be contemporaneous with

“We found Republicans winning the offices”
Synonyms:
see, witness
discover, find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up, see
get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
Types:
catch
become aware of
Type of:
experience, go through, see
go or live through

v perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place

“I found myself in a difficult situation”
“When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room”
Synonyms
see, witness
perceive or be contemporaneous with
Type of:
comprehend, perceive
to become aware of through the senses

v accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation

“My son went to Berkeley to find himself”
Synonyms:
find oneself
Type of:
grow, maturate, mature
develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation

v come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost

“Did you find your glasses?”
“I cannot find my gloves!”
Synonyms:
regain
recover, regain, retrieve
get or find back; recover the use of
Antonyms:
lose
miss from one's possessions; lose sight of
Types:
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feel
find by testing or cautious exploration
locate, turn up
discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining
attain, chance on, chance upon, come across, come upon, discover, fall upon, happen upon, light upon, strike
find unexpectedly
rout out, rout up
get or find by searching
unearth
bring to light
nail, pinpoint
locate exactly
Type of:
acquire, get
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

v get something or somebody for a specific purpose

“I found this gadget that will serve as a bottle opener”
Synonyms:
come up, get hold, line up
Type of:
acquire, get
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
3

v come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds

“I find him to be obnoxious”
“I found the movie rather entertaining”
Synonyms:
feel
rule
decide on and make a declaration about
Type of:
conclude, reason, reason out
decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion

v decide on and make a declaration about

“find someone guilty”
Synonyms:
rule
feel
come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds
Type of:
judge, label, pronounce
pronounce judgment on

n a productive insight

Synonyms:
breakthrough, discovery
Type of:
brainstorm, brainwave, insight
the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
4

v obtain through effort or management

“She found the time and energy to take care of her aging parents”
“We found the money to send our sons to college”
Synonyms
regain
come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost
Type of:
acquire, get
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

v get or find back; recover the use of

“She found her voice and replied quickly”
Synonyms:
recover, regain, retrieve
regain
come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost
Types:
access
obtain or retrieve from a storage device; as of information on a computer
address
access or locate by address
log in, log on, log-in
enter a computer
Type of:
acquire, get
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
5

v receive a specified treatment (abstract)

“These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation”
Synonyms:
get, incur, obtain, receive
acquire, get
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
Types:
take
ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial
Type of:
change
undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
6

v succeed in reaching; arrive at

“The arrow found its mark”
Type of:
arrive at, attain, gain, hit, make, reach
reach a destination, either real or abstract
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