find

verb \ ˈfīnd \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 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

Cricket Australia said in the statement that Sutherland provided 12 months' notice and will continue in the position until a replacement is found.

— bard wilkinson, CNN, "Cricket Australia chief resigns after 17 years in the job," 6 June 2018
Google recently awarded a teenager in Uruguay $36,000 for finding a bug.

— alyssa newcomb /, NBC News, "'White hat' hackers in India get paid to keep the internet safe," 6 June 2018
Things have gotten so bad that Trump is even having trouble finding people willing to help him prepare for an interview with Mueller, which may not even happen.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Risk of Being Mueller’s Boss Scares Off Top Justice Department Candidates," 6 June 2018
Cooking a large piece of meat is an excellent form of self-care for any omnivore, something to cook as a way to celebrate and find strength in your aloneness.

— alison roman, The Cut, "Forget Engagement Chicken. Meet Breakup Steak.," 6 June 2018
Rummage sales have always been about finding bargains.

— bob dohr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "St. Francis drops fee for hosting a rummage sale," 6 June 2018
If Zinke does not find the nerve to speak up publicly for the LWCF, or if Congress doesn’t intervene, the fund will lapse into its most meager state since its creation.

— elliott d. woods, Outside Online, "Ryan Zinke Is Sabotaging Our Best Public Lands Program," 6 June 2018
Despite its humble beginnings on the show, the drink is now so inextricably linked to it that asking why the Cosmo became such a phenomenon is a bit like asking why the show itself found its level of success.

— refinery29.com, "The Birth, Death & Inevitable Comeback Of The Cosmo, SATC's Greatest Icon," 6 June 2018
Among the restaurants recently removed from the Critic's Picks are Kenton's and Mariza, both of which closed, and Sylvain, whose kitchen has not yet found its footing following the departure of chef Martha Wiggins.

— brett anderson, NOLA.com, "Echo's Pizza, Gabrielle, Kin, LA 23 BBQ, Zimmer's make the cut for Critic's Picks," 6 June 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

Deserae’s dress was a lucky find — a sample from BHLDN — while Chad’s Scottish get-up reflected his family’s heritage.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "Rakhi Patel & Heren Patel,," 2 June 2018
Steeped in more than 200 years of history, Charleston’s Toomer-Purse House is a one-of-a-kind find.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "This Historic 1700s Mansion is One of Charleston’s Finest," 30 May 2018
Artiga, reportedly chosen out of nearly 1,000 auditioning children, is indeed a find.

— gary goldstein, latimes.com, "'Summer 1993' explores the wonder of childhood in the wake of tragedy," 24 May 2018
With many of the community's residents expected to participate, Cane Island's Community Garage Sale promises to be a great opportunity to pick up deals on unique finds and everyday items.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Cane Island hosts community-wide garage sale on April 14," 9 Apr. 2018
So based on the new finds, the study authors think that as many as 500 black hole binaries exist in the Milky Way, and that the galaxy hosts up to ten thousand black holes in total.

— National Geographic, "Thousands of Black Holes May Lurk at the Galaxy's Center," 4 Apr. 2018
For instance, the northward spread of farming stopped for several thousand years at the boundary of the latitudes where most crops grow well; archaeologists knew that based on earlier finds.

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Prehistoric Europe much like a game of Civilization, according to ancient DNA," 21 Feb. 2018
The special session must end by June 4, giving legislators about two weeks to fashion a state spending plan as well as find or create the revenue to pay for it.

— NOLA.com, "Frustration, questions emerge from Louisiana's tax committee," 23 May 2018
There are about 50,000 recordings in the Gladys Palmera Collection, which includes LPs, 78s, 45s, many of them very rare finds.

— judy cantor-navas, Billboard, "Latin Legacy: Digital Digging in the Gladys Palmera Collection," 22 May 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

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Definition of find

findable

Examples of find in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of find

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Synonyms

Antonyms

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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

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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

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