identify with

phrasal verb

identified with; identifying with; identifies with

1

: to think of (something) as being the same as (something else)

It is a mistake to identify being healthy with being thin.

2

: to think of (someone) as being very closely associated with (something)

She has always been identified with the civil rights movement.

These groups are identified with conservation.

3

: to think of oneself as having the same problems and feelings as someone

Many readers identify with the characters in her novels.

Examples of identify with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet a person in the throes of one might identify with either character, depending on whether the drug is within reach. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026

Wilson said the immediacy of her script connects with how Hedda isn’t simply an antiquated character from the past but someone women today can identify with. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026

Over time, participants come to identify with the activity and to feel included in a subculture that has its own norms and values. —Emily Messina, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2026

The chronic daydreamer can easily identify with Catherine’s near-delusional longing for something to happen beyond the courtships and evenings around the pianoforte that seem to make up the better part of her future. —Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026