find

verb \ ˈfīnd \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

found play \ˈfau̇nd\; finding

transitive verb

1 a : to come upon often accidentally : encounter

found a $10 bill on the ground

b : to meet with (a particular reception)

hoped to find favor

2 a : to come upon by searching or effort

must find a suitable person for the job

b : to discover by study or experiment

find an answer

c : to obtain by effort or management

find the time to study

d : attain, reach

the bullet found its mark

3 a : to discover by the intellect or the feelings : experience

find much pleasure in your company

b : to perceive (oneself) to be in a certain place or condition

found himself in prison awaiting deportation

found himself on the verge of bankruptcy

c : to gain or regain the use or power of

trying to find his tongue

d : to bring (oneself) to a realization of one's powers or of one's proper sphere of activity

must help the student to find himself as an individual
—N. M. Pusey

4 a : provide, supply

b : to furnish (room and board) especially as a condition of employment

he was chopping by day's work—75 cents a day—and found himself
—Herman Melville

5 : to determine and make a statement about

find a verdict

found her guilty

intransitive verb

: to determine a case judicially by a verdict

find for the defendant

—

findable

play \ˈfīn-də-bəl\ adjective

— find fault

: to criticize unfavorably

See find defined for English-language learners

See find defined for kids

Examples of find in a Sentence

He found a dollar on the ground.
The well diggers found a number of Native American artifacts.
After an hour of searching, I finally found my glasses.
We need to find a suitable person for the job.
She found the answer at last.
They claim to have found a more efficient way to run the business.
researchers trying to find a cure for cancer
You must find time to do it.
I found a way to pay for college without taking out any loans.
She found the courage to address the crowd.

Recent Examples of find from the Web

Though the 16-year-old was able to call 911, apparently twice, police were not able to find him.

— cameron knight, Cincinnati.com, "Source: Rear seat of minivan flipped, pinned Seven Hills student Kyle Plush," 12 Apr. 2018
Of course, a new button to contact emergency dispatchers is only as useful as 911’s ability to find you.

— andrew j. hawkins, The Verge, "Uber adds emergency button to its app to directly dial 911," 12 Apr. 2018
In October 2000 Mrs Albright found herself in a stadium in Pyongyang next to Kim Jong-Il, watching 100,000 North Korean children and adults dance and thrust bayonets in perfect unison.

— The Economist, "Madeleine Albright’s guide to fascism, past and present," 12 Apr. 2018
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, which made the recommendation to the high court, found Del Rio guilty of 23 counts of judicial misconduct.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Former Detroit judge, activist James Del Rio dies at age 94," 12 Apr. 2018
But Carreyrou also found absurdity and amateurism at the heart of the company’s technology.

— rebecca robbins, STAT, "‘Therabros’ and ‘disappeared’ staffers: the 8 juiciest things we learned from John Carreyrou’s new Theranos book," 12 Apr. 2018
Later, officers found two AR-15-style rifles in Palmer's car.

— vic ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "Court docs: Suspect in toddler shooting says his pregnant sister was hurt in earlier fight," 12 Apr. 2018
Krebs and Finn joke that finding the points is easier than playing the game Twister.

— nicole defeudis, BostonGlobe.com, "Uplift app says it can deliver a natural remedy to jet lag," 11 Apr. 2018
Metropolitan believes farmers who don't pay for WaterFix's construction could find themselves in a bind as their water deliveries from the Delta diminish, and will turn to Metropolitan for help.

— ryan sabalow and dale kasler, sacbee, "Massive Delta tunnels project took a giant step forward – here’s what you need to know | The Sacramento Bee," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'find.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of find

Middle English, from Old English findan; akin to Old High German findan to find, Latin pont-, pons bridge, Greek pontos sea, Sanskrit patha way, course

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

find Synonyms

find

noun

1 : an act or instance of finding

2 : something found: such as

a : a valuable discovery

an archaeological find

b : a person whose ability proves to be unexpectedly good

See find defined for English-language learners

Examples of find in a Sentence

That antique she bought at the flea market was a real find.
That new secretary of yours is a real find!

Recent Examples of find from the Web

The funds also will go toward adding new zones and looking for significant archaeological finds, such as Native American artifacts, in some of the zones.

— bradley zint, latimes.com, "Parking in Laguna Beach? The fine for some tickets is going up by $20," 11 Apr. 2018
But others have made a career out of browsing vintage stores for incredible finds.

— kim komando, Fox News, "5 incredibly useful tools for your digital spring cleaning," 7 Apr. 2018
For the latest find, researchers picked up the signal from a star orbiting the black hole, which causes the system to emit X-ray radiation.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "The Center of the Milky Way May Be Chock-Full of Black Holes," 6 Apr. 2018
But others have made a career out of browsing vintage stores for incredible finds.

— kim komando, USA TODAY, "How to speed up your smartphone, clear up your browser and simplify your digital life," 6 Apr. 2018
Bahrain’s oil minister and energy executives detailed the find at a press conference, saying the tight oil was discovered in the offshore Khalij al-Bahrain Basin, which spans some 2,000 square kilometers (770 sq.

— Washington Post, "Bahrain’s largest oil find estimated at 80 billion barrels," 4 Apr. 2018
Pfeifer shared the find with two guys from the dawn of Mourning Dayze, guitarist Doug Henry and drummer-singer Steve Ellmann.

— jim stingl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Stingl: Wisconsin garage band formed by teens in 1965 is still rockin' and looking back," 30 Mar. 2018
But their presence may explain other archaeological finds in nearby and surrounding areas.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Ice age throwback: 13,000-year-old footprints found off Canadian coast," 28 Mar. 2018
When your ears are ready for a rest, browse for finds at Ernest Tubb Record Shop (615-255-7503, etrecordshop.com) and then maybe even get fitted for some country kicks at Boot Barn (615-742-9780, bootbarn.com).

— sarah rodman, BostonGlobe.com, "The music lover’s ultimate guide to visiting Nashville," 15 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of find

see ¹find

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1802

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

find Synonyms

Synonyms

discovery;

Related Words

pay dirt, strike, treasure trove;

breakthrough;

FIND Defined for English Language Learners

find

verb

: to discover (something or someone) without planning or trying to : to discover (something or someone) by chance
: to get or discover (something or someone that you are looking for)
: to discover or learn (something) by studying about it

find

noun

: something or someone that has been found; especially : a valuable person or thing that has been found or discovered

FIND Defined for Kids

find

verb \ ˈfīnd \

found \ˈfau̇nd\; finding

1 : to come upon by chance

He found a dime.

2 : to come upon or get by searching, study, or effort

She finally found the answer.

I found some free time.

3 : to make a decision about

The jury found her guilty.

4 : to know by experience

I find this Web site useful.

5 : to gain or regain the use of

I found my voice again.

6 : to become aware of being in a place, condition, or activity

Omri found himself wondering … where his magnifying glass was.
—Lynne Reid Banks, The Indian in the Cupboard

—

finder

noun

— find fault

: to criticize in an unfavorable way

— find out

: to learn by studying, watching, or searching

I found out the secret.

find

noun

: a usually valuable item or person found

Law Dictionary

find

verb

found; finding

transitive verb

1 : to come upon accidentally or through effort

found a valuable antique in the old desk

found a buyer for the property

2 : to make a judicial determination regarding

found the testimony not credible

found the defendant guilty

— compare decide, hold

intransitive verb

: to make a judicial determination

the jury found in favor of the plaintiff

Learn More about find

See words that rhyme with find Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for find Spanish Central: Translation of find Nglish: Translation of find for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of find for Arabic speakers

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Examples of find in a Sentence

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Antonyms

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find

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