identify

verb

iden·ti·fy | \ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī,

ə-\

identified; identifying

Definition of identify

transitive verb

1a : to establish the identity of

b : to determine the taxonomic position of (a biological specimen)

2a : to conceive as united (as in spirit, outlook, or principle) groups that are identified with conservation

b : to cause to be or become identical

intransitive verb

1 : to practice psychological identification identify with the hero of a novel

2 : to be or become the same

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Other Words from identify

identifiable \ī-ˌden-tə-ˈfī-ə-bəl,

ə- \ adjective

identifiably \ī-ˌden-tə-ˈfī-ə-blē,

ə- \ adverb

Examples of identify in a Sentence

She identified the dog as her lost pet. He was able to correctly identify the mushroom. The witness positively identified the suspect in the crime. The corpse was identified on the basis of dental records. They could not identify the source of the quotation. They had no difficulty in identifying the problem. We began by identifying what we needed for the job. We need to identify the causes of unemployment.

Recent Examples on the Web

The source has not been identified or charged with a crime. — PEOPLE.com, "Teen and Girlfriend Accused of Hiring Hitman to Kill His Dad — and Alleged Gunman Is Arrested," 12 July 2018 The child has been identified as Makayla S. Bowling, of Washington County, according to the ISP statement. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "6-year-old girl killed in accidental shooting Friday night, police say," 14 July 2018 The latter was identified by Corriere as a scud — a white miniature pond resident that resembled a shrimp. — Sue Ellen Ross, Post-Tribune, "Discovering what lives beneath the surface," 13 July 2018 For example, the indictment noted that one person — identified by two government officials as Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime adviser to Mr. Trump — was in touch with both the hackers and senior members of the Trump campaign. — New York Times, "Gap Between Trump and Justice Dept. Officials Grows Starker," 13 July 2018 Nearly half the stomach contents were identified as the body fat of an ibex, a wild goat that still lives in the Alps. — Washington Post, "Ancient ‘Iceman’ shows signs of a well-balanced last meal," 13 July 2018 The victim was identified Friday morning by police as Sean Schellenger, 37, of Point Breeze, whose Streamline Group LLC builds new developments around the city. — Philly.com, "Philadelphia developer stabbed to death near Rittenhouse Square," 13 July 2018 The victim has not been identified yet by the Cook County medical examiner. — Hannah Leone, chicagotribune.com, "3 charged in death of man who was beaten and shot in Gage Park," 13 July 2018 No suspects had been identified at the time of the report last year. — Jess Nocera, Howard County Times, "Grand jury indicts teens accused of hate crimes at Glenelg High School," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'identify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near identify

identifying mark/feature

identifying pronoun

identify oneself

Phrases Related to identify

identify oneself

identify with

identifying mark/feature

Statistics for identify

Last Updated

13 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for identify

The first known use of identify was in 1626

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More Definitions for identify

identify

verb

English Language Learners Definition of identify

: to know and say who someone is or what something is

: to find out who someone is or what something is

: to show who someone is or what something is

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

identify

verb

iden·ti·fy | \ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī

identified; identifying

Kids Definition of identify

1 : to find out or show the identity of … they ate … a mystery casserole that I could not identify.— Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons

2 : to feel empathy for I identified with her problem.

3 : to think of as joined or associated with These groups are identified with conservation.

identify

verb

iden·ti·fy | \ī-ˈdent-ə-ˌfī, ə-

identified; identifying

Medical Definition of identify

transitive verb

: to determine the taxonomic position of (a biological specimen)

intransitive verb

: to undergo or experience psychological identification identify with the hero of a novel

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identify

transitive verb

iden·ti·fy

identified; identifying

Legal Definition of identify

1 : to consider as united or associated (as in interests or principles) can ask leading questions of a witness who is identified with an adverse party

2 : to establish the identity of identifying the suspect

3 : to specify or designate (goods) as the object of a contract —used in the phrase identify to the contract the disputed beans were goods identified to the contract

Note: Under the Uniform Commercial Code, once goods are identified to a contract, the buyer has a special property interest and an insurable interest in the goods. This gives the buyer the right to seek damages and other relief. This identification can be done at any time and in any manner agreed to by the parties or as otherwise specified in the U.C.C.