as in distinguishing
serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group
the marching band's striking black-and-silver uniforms serve as its identifying mark for thousands of parade spectators
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pinpointing
to find out or establish the identity of
sufficient forensic evidence to allow investigators to identify the perpetrator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in associating
to think of (something) in combination
for some reason, he always identified the color red with flowers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of identifying
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
There are also passports from Lithuania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Russia, with most identifying information blacked out.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
Another intriguing possibility is to wait until the wireless world’s progress to ever-shorter wavelengths finally hits the millimeter band, which is small enough to resolve most identifying details.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2020
Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Tomato Wilt Due To Water Stress The first step to managing tomato wilt is identifying the cause of the problem.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Man among boys USC recruiters deserve praise for identifying the best in Southern California and pursuing them with great intensity.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
However, identifying new events remained a major chokepoint.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026
Police are seeking help from the public identifying a man suspected of placing a skimming device in a supermarket in Bridgeport.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Keith played a key role in identifying the Morrison property as a permanent home for the church after looking at 200 properties over the last seven years.
—Charlotte Observer, 19 June 2026
Chicago police are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect who stabbed another man during a fight on a CTA Blue Line train earlier this month.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 15 June 2026
The leaders of three of the world’s most influential film festivals told Shanghai on Sunday that the role of the festival circuit in discovering and developing new voices has never been more critical – and that personal connection, not data, remains the truest compass for identifying talent.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 June 2026
Adjective
But the implementation of that plan has been slow, and some locals have expressed discomfort with the idea of submitting more identifying information, Nguyen said.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
There are also passports from Lithuania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Russia, with most identifying information blacked out.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
Another intriguing possibility is to wait until the wireless world’s progress to ever-shorter wavelengths finally hits the millimeter band, which is small enough to resolve most identifying details.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2020
Verb
True investment success hinges on identifying this crucial gap between what the market anticipates and what a company delivers, emphasizing that price discipline is paramount, regardless of a business's inherent quality.
—Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Tomato Wilt Due To Water Stress The first step to managing tomato wilt is identifying the cause of the problem.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Man among boys USC recruiters deserve praise for identifying the best in Southern California and pursuing them with great intensity.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
However, identifying new events remained a major chokepoint.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026
Police are seeking help from the public identifying a man suspected of placing a skimming device in a supermarket in Bridgeport.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026
Keith played a key role in identifying the Morrison property as a permanent home for the church after looking at 200 properties over the last seven years.
—Charlotte Observer, 19 June 2026
Chicago police are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect who stabbed another man during a fight on a CTA Blue Line train earlier this month.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 15 June 2026
The leaders of three of the world’s most influential film festivals told Shanghai on Sunday that the role of the festival circuit in discovering and developing new voices has never been more critical – and that personal connection, not data, remains the truest compass for identifying talent.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identifying
Adjective
-
After more talk of intimate moments that occurred during the shoot, and a few anecdotes about nipples, Shaver then redirected the conversation, lighting things up in her characteristic way.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
-
If plutonium production were taking place inside a fusion reactor, the nuclear reactions involved would generate a characteristic antineutrino signal.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Behind the scenes, Spatial Hearing AI listens to the 3D acoustic environment and maps the soundscape, isolating each source and distinguishing between multiple speakers, so that devices can respond adaptively, guided by the context of their surroundings.—
Scott Kramer,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The original combat variant, which the company is already producing, will now carry the designation CA-1KA (Kinetic Attack), distinguishing it from the new electronic warfare model.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Campbell argues that Latchford’s donations helped bolster his credibility as a scholar by associating his name with top institutions.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
Hoffman has apologized for associating with Epstein.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Adjective
-
For her first appearance at the Royal Ascot in three years, Middleton paired the neutral, beige heels with a bright yellow Roksanda dress featuring a distinctive bow detail at the shoulder and a midi-length skirt.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
17 June 2026
-
Unlike many symmetrical cuts, the pear shape has a distinctive sense of direction, creating movement and lending a stronger visual identity.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Jeremy Doku tried his best, but otherwise Belgium looked pretty ordinary — at least in terms of pinpointing teams that can go far in this competition — when claiming a 1-1 draw against the North Africans.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
But the streamer seems more focused on pinpointing content that will resonate with its subscribers than crossing the aisle.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Another study observed children as young as ten months old correlating larger physical statures with dominance.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
By correlating vulnerabilities into potential attack paths, teams can prioritize issues that could realistically lead to privilege escalation, lateral movement, or data access—rather than treating all findings equally.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Both Kalshi and Polymarket argue that trading on their platforms is distinct from gambling.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
Schneider also has some distinct tattoos, including a cherry blossom on her right thigh, stylist scissors on her left inner forearm and a flower on the top of her left foot.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Another problem is the difficulty older Americans have in finding new jobs.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
In the 10th minute, Neil El Aynaoui pilfered the ball from Ryan Christie, then nearly capitalized on the ensuing counterattack, finding free space in front of an open net but overrunning Azzedine Ounahi’s cross.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Identifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identifying. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
