find

1 of 2

verb

found ˈfau̇nd How to pronounce find (audio) ; finding

transitive verb

1
a
: to come upon often accidentally : encounter
found a $10 bill on the ground
b
: to meet with (a particular reception)
hoped to find favor
2
a
: to come upon by searching or effort
must find a suitable person for the job
b
: to discover by study or experiment
find an answer
c
: to obtain by effort or management
find the time to study
d
: attain, reach
the bullet found its mark
3
a
: to discover by the intellect or the feelings : experience
find much pleasure in your company
b
: to perceive (oneself) to be in a certain place or condition
found himself in prison awaiting deportation
found himself on the verge of bankruptcy
c
: to gain or regain the use or power of
trying to find his tongue
d
: to bring (oneself) to a realization of one's powers or of one's proper sphere of activity
must help the student to find himself as an individualN. M. Pusey
4
b
: to furnish (room and board) especially as a condition of employment
he was chopping by day's work—75 cents a day—and found himselfHerman Melville
5
: to determine and make a statement about
find a verdict
found her guilty

intransitive verb

: to determine a case judicially by a verdict
find for the defendant
findable adjective

find

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of finding
2
: something found: such as
a
: a valuable discovery
an archaeological find
b
: a person whose ability proves to be unexpectedly good
Phrases
find fault
: to criticize unfavorably

Examples of find in a Sentence

Verb He found a dollar on the ground. The well diggers found a number of Native American artifacts. After an hour of searching, I finally found my glasses. We need to find a suitable person for the job. She found the answer at last. They claim to have found a more efficient way to run the business. researchers trying to find a cure for cancer You must find time to do it. I found a way to pay for college without taking out any loans. She found the courage to address the crowd. Noun That antique she bought at the flea market was a real find. That new secretary of yours is a real find!
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Simulcast on broadcast and streaming As content distribution evolves, streaming services and movie theaters are finding ways to coexist. Clayton Davis, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Peacock couldn’t find an audience for the comedy — or any of its sitcoms, for that matter, the rest of which have been canceled — and corporate parent NBC Universal allowed Netflix to become the home of both the pre-existing homes and any future ones. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 While the boonie hat started as purely functional, it’s now found quite a home in the menswear space. William Goodman, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024 Today’s great reads How explorers found Amelia Earhart’s watery grave. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Officers found the driver dead in the far right lane of Interstate 85 at the Belmont-Mount Holly Road bridge about 1:45 a.m., according to a Belmont Police Department news release on Saturday afternoon. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 2 Mar. 2024 That means travelers are trying to find other options. Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 What homebuyers can find for metro Phoenix’s median price of $430,000 varies a lot by city. Catherine Reagor, The Arizona Republic, 2 Mar. 2024 The snowpack was at 80% of its March average, a survey conducted by California’s Department of Water Resources found Thursday – which represents what was on the ground before the current storm. Sara Tonks, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
At a thrift store, such a find might cost a couple of hundred dollars. Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Hôtel Le Six In an area that’s on the pricier side, Haussmann-style Hôtel Le Six near the Luxembourg Gardens is a rare find. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2024 Save 25 percent sitewide on home finds with code PEOPLE25 and see for yourself why more than 3,500 shoppers have given the cooling Signature Sateen Sheet Sets a five-star rating. Averi Baudler, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 After discovering a small, lead and tin object in Poland, an archaeologist shared his find with local officials. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 And Shipshewana On the Road offers a treasure trove of unique finds in Warren. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 1 Mar. 2024 For what Klopp needs—hard running, intercepting play, and holding onto the ball—he’s been a real find, though. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Strong's Brick Oven Pizzeria, Green Township Strong's Brick Oven Pizzeria, one of my favorite new finds, opened its sixth location, and its first on the West Side, inside the former Kenning's Circle K, which closed in 2022. Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 29 Feb. 2024 Vasudevan was not involved with the discovery and was also surprised by the find. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'find.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English findan; akin to Old High German findan to find, Latin pont-, pons bridge, Greek pontos sea, Sanskrit patha way, course

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of find was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near find

Cite this Entry

“Find.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/find. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

find

1 of 2 verb
found ˈfau̇nd How to pronounce find (audio) ; finding
1
: to meet with someone or something by chance
found a dime
2
: to come upon by searching, study, or effort
finally found the answer
3
: to obtain by effort or management
find time to do it
4
: to make a decision
find a verdict
5
: to know by experience
people found it useful
6
: to gain or regain the use of
found my voice again

find

2 of 2 noun
: something found
especially : a valuable item found

Legal Definition

find

verb
found; finding

transitive verb

1
: to come upon accidentally or through effort
found a valuable antique in the old desk
found a buyer for the property
2
: to make a judicial determination regarding
found the testimony not credible
found the defendant guilty
compare decide, hold

intransitive verb

: to make a judicial determination
the jury found in favor of the plaintiff

More from Merriam-Webster on find

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