as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
a book of brainteasers that even a really clever person won't have an easy time figuring out
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of figure out
The Pasadena socialite – whose murder kickstarts AppleTV’s mystery thriller – is hard to figure out.
—
Arushi Jacob, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
Her squid-ink flavor profile was one note, and her monkfish had a weirdly wet and spongy texture that Rhoda defends but that none of the judges can figure out.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
His obsession was figuring out how to make life in a market economy less chaotic.
—Alex Mayyasi, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
May did not create the new world order; he’s just figured out how to maximize it.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for figure out
Arushi Jacob, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
Her squid-ink flavor profile was one note, and her monkfish had a weirdly wet and spongy texture that Rhoda defends but that none of the judges can figure out.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
His obsession was figuring out how to make life in a market economy less chaotic.
—Alex Mayyasi, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
May did not create the new world order; he’s just figured out how to maximize it.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for figure out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figure out
Verb
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While philosophers may lose sleep over it, physicists don’t have to, because cosmic inflation solves it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
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Seeking to solve the problem, the state House of Representatives voted 124-21 this week to force tire retailers to join a state stewardship program by July 2027.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His opponent in the November election, Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez, blasted Uthmeier's refusal to directly answer the question.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Even if the war winds down, its ripple effects on gas and commodity prices are expected to linger, leaving Republicans to answer for those pressures on the campaign trail despite efforts to redirect attention to tax policy or immigration.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Eastern Bloc was starting to unravel, and Fidesz, the political outfit that Orbán co-founded the year before, had been conceived as an engine of liberal reform.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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The college bargain that a generation of Americans was sold (borrow money, earn a degree, join the middle class) has been quietly unraveling for 20 years.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In many mining districts, criminal organizations effectively govern territory, controlling entry, resolving disputes and enforcing authority through violence.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
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David Creasy, the family’s attorney, said the battle to resolve the matter could take years.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figure out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figure%20out. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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