find

verb

\ ˈfīnd

found\ ˈfau̇nd

\; finding

Definition of find

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to come upon often accidentally : encounter found a $10 bill on the ground

b : to meet with (a particular reception) hoped to find favor

2a : 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

3a : 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

4a : 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

find fault

: to criticize unfavorably

find

noun

Definition of find (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from find Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about find

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of find in a Sentence

Verb

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.

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Before, a defendant could be found guilty even if two jurors wanted to acquit. — Jacob Gershman, WSJ, "New for 2019: Laws on Guns, Harassment, Cannabis-Spiked Drinks," 2 Jan. 2019 Season 2 sneak peek Previous SlideNext Slide There's plenty of biology as well as physics to be found on The Orville. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "The Orville blends science fiction and science fact into a winning mix," 29 Dec. 2018 And researchers even found that postmenopausal women who had the most sodium in their diets were four times as likely to experience bone fractures as those who ate the least. — Karen Ansel, Woman's Day, "This Is What Your Daily Sodium Intake Should Really Be," 14 Dec. 2018 More details later While Intel disclosed its Sunny Cove and two follow up cores called Willow Core and Golden Core, hard details such as how many cores will be found in actual CPUs, and at what clock speeds, were held close to the vest. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Surprise! Intel reveals 10nm Sunny Cove CPU cores that go deeper, wider, and faster," 12 Dec. 2018 Starting next November, the Seabourn Sojourn becomes one of very few cruise ships with permission to sail around the island, its 11-to 14-day trips providing a level of luxury that’s still nowhere to be found on land. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "The Best Places to Travel in 2019," 7 Dec. 2018 The unassuming Keen eschews workwear for streetwear, and can be found at the center of every activity in the shop—from measuring transitions to sawing 2x4 ramp supports. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Big Air For a Higher Purpose," 6 Dec. 2018 But his enemies find him there, and in the fight that ensues, B-127’s voice box is muted. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Bumblebee is basically E.T., but with a Transformer. It’s delightful!," 18 Dec. 2018 Wireless users may find that AT&T’s DirecTV Now service doesn’t count against their monthly usage limit, an arrangement that was still allowed under Wheeler’s FCC but was increasingly frowned upon. — Karl Bode, The Verge, "How the new AT&T could bully its way to streaming domination," 18 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Zahi Hawass, an Egyptologist and former antiquities minister known for his Indiana Jones-style hats, has suggested the find could bolster efforts to locate the tomb of Alexander the Great. — Declan Walsh, New York Times, "Sarcophagus Found. Contents Unknown. (‘No Guessing, Please.’)," 13 July 2018 To make the find, researchers showed non–color-blind participants a series of 1000 dots ranging from very blue to very purple, and asked them to judge whether each dot was blue. — Matt Warren, Science | AAAS, "Are these dots purple or blue? Your answer might not be as reliable as you think," 28 June 2018 Yet Collins says the fun didn’t come from the sordid finds. — Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, "You'll Love Watching Michelle Collins Go Through People's Phones on Search History," 5 June 2018 Like the oceanographers, Althaus was at first elated by the find. — Tom Avril, Philly.com, "World War II B-24 bomber found in South Pacific, 7 decades later," 25 May 2018 Crook is available for media interviews regarding the archaeological finds showcased in the exhibit. — Community Report, Houston Chronicle, "Sam Houston Regional Library set to reopen June 9 after renovations," 24 May 2018 Markle balanced out the high-street find with designer accessories: a Gucci velvet clutch and gold-and-diamond earrings from Canadian jeweler, Birks, which is just one of several brands Markle has helped put on the map. — Alice Bell, Vogue, "Becoming Meghan Markle: One Vogue Writer Puts Royal Fashion Protocol to the Test," 19 May 2018 The crowd of treasure-hunters digging nearby ran over and congratulated the family on the find. — Bill Van Niekerken, San Francisco Chronicle, "When the Emperor Norton Treasure Hunt turned San Francisco upside down," 8 May 2018 Bahrain’s oil minister and energy executives detailed the find at a press conference, saying the oil was discovered in the offshore Khalij al-Bahrain Basin, which spans some 770 square miles in shallow waters off the country’s western coast. — Aya Batrawy, BostonGlobe.com, "Bahrain’s largest oil find estimated at 80 billion barrels," 5 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about find

Dictionary Entries near find

Statistics for find

Last Updated

6 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for find

The first known use of find was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for find

find

verb

English Language Learners Definition of find

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of find (Entry 2 of 2)

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

See the full definition for find in the English Language Learners Dictionary

find

verb

\ ˈfīnd

found\ ˈfau̇nd \; finding

Kids Definition of find

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

find fault

: to criticize in an unfavorable way

find out

: to learn by studying, watching, or searching I found out the secret.