find

verb \ ˈfīnd \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Examples: find in a Sentence

Definition of find

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

Officers who arrived at the scene found a child who had been shot in the head who was taken to Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville, where she was pronounced dead.

— lucas aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "6-year-old girl killed in accidental shooting Friday night, police say," 14 July 2018
The report also found that 11,300 of the 30,700 ER visits for tip-over incidents between 2014 and 2016 involved adults.

— carolyn l. todd, SELF, "Emergency Responders Share 9 of the Biggest Death Traps in Your Home," 14 July 2018
In addition to the sarcophagus, the archeologists found an alabaster bust of a man that likely depicts the owner of the tomb.

— abigail abrams, Time, "A Mysterious Sarcophagus That May Not Have Been Opened in 2,000 Years Was Found in Egypt," 14 July 2018
Rookie winger Chris Mueller found Dwyer and Orlando City’s leading goal scorer was given space near the top of the penalty area.

— jordan culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City earns 2-1 win over Toronto FC, snaps nine-match MLS losing skid," 14 July 2018
In Evanston, though beaches have shrunk and the dog beach is completely submerged, the city has found that buying and importing sand to replenish beaches isn't a sound investment.

— tony briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "What happens when Lake Superior has too much water? It dumps it into an already overflowing Lake Michigan," 13 July 2018
The 26-year-old never found consistency for Stoke but Liverpool is the sort of club and Jurgen Klopp the sort of manager who can get the best out of him.

— SI.com, "Xherdan Shaqiri Set for Liverpool Medical as Reds Close in on Third Summer Signing," 13 July 2018
The researchers found that about 14 percent of comments for female on-camera hosts were critical, compared to about six percent for male hosts.

— adrianne jeffries, New York Times, "Women Making Science Videos on YouTube Face Hostile Comments," 13 July 2018
With much effort and determination, Moriah found the right medicines and learned to alleviate her symptoms with diet and exercise.

— Philly.com, "Philadelphia weddings: Moriah Benjoseph and Ben Nassau," 13 July 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

Definition of find

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

Within 1 minute of the detection, the facility sent out an automatic notification, alerting other astronomers to the find and relaying coordinates to the patch of sky that seemed to house the particle's source.

— mike wall, NBC News, "High-energy 'ghost particle' traced to distant galaxy in astronomy breakthrough," 12 July 2018
Egypt Today reported that, in 2015, police arrested three brothers who were found illegally digging below their building, ostensibly searching for a potential archaeological find.

— ella cerón, Teen Vogue, "Undisturbed Sarcophagus Found in Alexandria, Egypt," 12 July 2018
Archaeological finds made between 2004 and 2017 at a site called Shangchen in central China now challenge that orthodoxy.

— colin barras, Scientific American, "Tools from China are Oldest Hint of Human Lineage Outside Africa," 11 July 2018
And a tip of the cap to the high morals of an angler who made an improbable find twice over.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Extraordinary musky fishing tale, verified and true, comes to happy ending," 11 July 2018
The anthem's coinciding visual finds Drake documenting his most philanthropic moments at the top of 2018 around the city of Miami.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "Ranking Each Song From Side A of Drake's 'Scorpion' Album: Critic's Take," 29 June 2018
Scientists from the museum regularly excavate the Wattendorf stone quarry and have unearthed many interesting finds to date.

— deutsche welle, USA TODAY, "Fossil of a previously unknown pufferfish found in eastern Germany," 26 June 2018
Autocrossers or car collectors hoping to score a barn find will want the optional trailer hitch ($499).

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "Newly arrived 2019 Subaru Ascent fills three-row midsize SUV niche," 24 June 2018
Go as early as 7 a.m. to nab finds like a vintage Arne Jacobsen lamp or cutting boards handmade in Italy by Andrea Brugi.

— alex postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Summer on Denmark's Northern Coast," 22 June 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

Definition of find for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of find for English Language Learners

: 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 \

Definition of find for Students

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

Definition of find for Students

: a usually valuable item or person found

Law Dictionary

find

verb

legal Definition of find

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up find? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

find

Definition of find

findable

Examples of find in a Sentence

Recent Examples of find from the Web

Origin and Etymology of find

find Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

find

Definition of find

Examples of find in a Sentence

Recent Examples of find from the Web

Origin and Etymology of find

find Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

FIND Defined for English Language Learners

find

Definition of find for English Language Learners

find

Definition of find for English Language Learners

FIND Defined for Kids

find

Definition of find for Students

finder

find

Definition of find for Students

Law Dictionary

find

legal Definition of find

Learn More about find

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word