find

verb

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\ 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

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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 Partners and older children can do a bit of research to find these things out for her. — Washington Post, "Six things moms really need this Mother’s Day," 5 May 2021 His fascination with the case led Frantzen to visit Laird’s grave in the past year to find the writing on his marker gone. — Suzanne Baker, chicagotribune.com, "New bronze grave marker identifies the burial site of James Laird, Naperville’s first murder victim," 5 May 2021 Price-conscious shoppers may want to find segments where supply is higher. — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, "New Car Prices Are Skyrocketing This Spring," 5 May 2021 Fruit and vegetable growers have long struggled to find enough workers to pick and pack their crops. — Jesse Newman, WSJ, "Driscoll’s Desperately Needs to Know America’s Appetite for Strawberries," 5 May 2021 Grafton is tricky to find — there are few signs pointing the way — and a portion of the ride is on unpaved roads. — Dan Fellner, The Arizona Republic, "Best bike trails in southern Utah: How to see Zion, Snow Canyon and more on 2 wheels," 5 May 2021 Don Menendez will serve as the chair of the search committee to find the Advent’s next dean and rector. — al, "Advent Cathedral dean steps down due to ‘tension’ in denomination," 5 May 2021 One of Berry’s sons, a violinist, struggled to find an orchestra to play with during the COVID-19 lockdown, while her 15-year-old daughter yearned to play soccer on Celina’s state-qualifying team. — Corbett Smith, Dallas News, "Will ‘Tim Tebow’ bill finally pass in Texas? Home-school advocates push for students to compete with public schools," 5 May 2021 Meanwhile, Gunner’s frantic parents bring in the police, led by Mario Bello’s chief, to try to find their missing son just as, in the film’s most potentially fertile twist, a forest fire breaks out. — Jessica Kiang, Rolling Stone, "‘The Water Man’ Review: Where the Mild Things Are," 5 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Serena’s baby news (and her ivory silk charmeuse maternity set, a real find in a prison for war criminals) warms her up, reminds Rita of their bond over baby Nichole, and hearkens back to that chat in the Waterford kitchen. — Hillary Kelly, Vulture, "The Handmaid’s Tale Recap: Come On, Feel the Illinoise," 5 May 2021 My favorite find, though, was a chocolate bar infused with the spice, a bite of which took me back, immediately, to the bustling chaos of that day in Turkey. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Six Authors and Poets Write Odes to the Beauty Products They Can’t Live Without," 28 Apr. 2021 There is no evidence to support claims of a recent treasure find in Arizona. — Devon Link, USA TODAY, "Fact check: No evidence viral post shows buried treasure in Arizona," 27 Apr. 2021 The Hamburg customs office described the find in the German port as the biggest quantity of cocaine ever seized in Europe and one of the biggest single seizures worldwide. — Geir Moulson, Star Tribune, "Germany finds huge cocaine shipment; 2nd seized in Belgium," 24 Feb. 2021 Drummond, who documented the unexpected find in a series of posts on social media, wrote on his Instagram. — Kelsie Smith, CNN, "Couple finds more than 66 bottles of Prohibition-era whiskey hidden in the walls of their New York home," 25 Nov. 2020 Now, an exciting find by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne suggests that The Pioneer’s secrets extend, quite literally, beyond its surface. — Isis Davis-marks, Smithsonian Magazine, "Missing Australian Masterpiece Spent 115 Years Hiding in Plain Sight," 24 Nov. 2020 With their high-rise, faded wash, and button fly closure, these jeans will look (and feel) like the perfect vintage find—without having to actually do much digging. — Nicola Fumo, Forbes, "40 Of The Best Jeans For Women, In Every Size And Style," 10 Mar. 2021 His second — and most controversial — find was the Salamander Letter which presented a divisive, magical interpretation of early church history that had many questioning the religion’s origin story. — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, "Murder Among The Mormons Is Actually About Documents — Here’s How The Bombings Factor In," 5 Mar. 2021

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.

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Last Updated

8 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Find.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/find. Accessed 16 May. 2021.

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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.

find

noun

Kids Definition of find (Entry 2 of 2)

: a usually valuable item or person found

find

verb

found; finding