find out

verb

found out; finding out; finds out

transitive verb

1

: to learn by study, observation, or search : discover

2

a

: to catch in an offense (such as a crime)

the culprits were soon found out

b

: to ascertain the true character or identity of

the informer was found out

intransitive verb

: to discover, learn, or verify something

I don't know, but I'll find out for you

Synonyms

• ascertain
• catch on (to)
• discover
• get on (to)
• hear
• learn
• realize
• see
• wise (up)

Examples of find out in a Sentence

that was around the time that I found out I was adopted

found out about the new restaurant by reading reviews online

Recent Examples on the Web

Its mission was to find out whether Mars ever had the right environmental conditions to support life, and, early on, the rover discovered chemical and mineral evidence of habitable environments from the past. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025

Jordan had found out that her husband, Charles Marter, was an executive at Gulf National Bank and decided to target the couple for ransom money, court records said. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 27 June 2025

Decades-long family drama unfolds, confidences are betrayed, love is rekindled (and triangles formed), affairs are revealed, mysteries are solved, land disputes collide, and we are all left on the edge of our couches wanting to find out just what happens next. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 26 June 2025

Messmer and Woodruff also encourage contacting your local water district to find out PFAS levels in your water supply, and urge them to clean it up when possible. —Ani Freedman, Fortune, 26 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for find out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

find out

verb

1

: to learn by study, observation, or search : discover

2

: to catch doing something bad

the culprit was found out