figure out

verb

figured out; figuring out; figures out

transitive verb

1

: discover, determine

try to figure out a way to do it

2

: solve, fathom

figure out a problem

Synonyms of figure out

• solve
• answer
• unravel
• resolve

Examples of figure out in a Sentence

a book of brainteasers that even a really clever person won't have an easy time figuring out

Recent Examples on the Web

Studios, producers and other gatekeepers rapidly figured out that people did not want to go back there. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026

Now, Americans — and travelers who found themselves stranded amid regional airport and airspace closures — are trying to figure out how to leave the region. —Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026

This data was used to figure out the percentage of early deaths that could be prevented if people got five to ten more minutes of movement each day or sat 30 to 60 minutes less each day. —Danielle Zickl, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026

Democrats, hungry to win a Senate race for the first time since 1988, see an opening, but have their own knotty race to figure out. —Thomas Beaumont, Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for figure out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

figure out

verb

1

: find out, discover

try to figure out a way to do it

2

: solve

figure out a problem