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figure out
verb
- to calculate or reckon
- to understand
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Example Sentences
The people who are involved in the violence, they figure out ways to remain here at all costs and continue causing trouble.
Meanwhile, politicos were already trying to figure out their next play.
A very high Roake declares: “Yes, no, it totally could be like wine,” adding that she would need to figure out “the dosages.”
She views music and pop culture as a resource for people to figure out where we are as a society.
That makes devices more readily available to those who want to figure out vulnerabilities to exploit.
I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do, at first, or I'd have rushed out and tried to stop him.
Textures and surface qualities, local or personal colors, lose their significance to the figure out-of-doors.
But I know that is all wrong, and I have set to work to figure out just how to be thankful like other people.
But we could not figure out how to capture them without alarming the city.
We hope, someday, to figure out a method of restoring their sanity.
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Related Words
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More About Figure Out
What does figure out mean?
To figure out something is to understand it or solve it. To figure something out, you have to think about it.
Figure out can be used in all kinds of contexts involving things that need to be thought about to be understood or problems that require solving.
Figure out is a phrasal verb, meaning it’s a phrase that acts as a verb and includes a preposition or adverb that doesn’t really have a literal meaning—in this case, the word out. In figure out, the word out doesn’t mean what it normally does (the opposite of in) in other phrasal verbs like walk out (literally meaning to go out of a place by walking). This makes figure out an idiom, which is a term whose literal meaning can’t be predicted or understood (figured out!) from the words that make it up.
Like many phrasal verbs, figure out is typically used informally.
Figure out is often followed by the thing being understood or solved, as in I’m trying to figure out this equation or I can’t figure out why she’s mad at me.
Sometimes, though, the thing being figured out comes in the middle of the phrase, as in I’m trying to figure this equation out.
Example: Can you help me figure out this train schedule? It seems overly complicated.
Where does figure out come from?
The first records of the phrase figure out in its modern sense come from the 1800s. The verb figure in the phrase means “to think about” or “to calculate.” The word out is used in a similar way in the phrasal verb find out, meaning “to gain knowledge of or learn about something for the first time.”
Figure out is usually used in a way that implies that understanding something requires some mental work. The phrase is often used in the context of complicated concepts, as in Scientists are in the business of figuring out how the natural world works. But it’s also commonly used for more personal problems, as in I have to figure out how I’m going to make enough money this summer to pay my tuition. You can even figure out a person—this means you understand why they do what they do and are the way they are. Someone who has their life is in order is said to have it all figured out.
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How is figure out used in real life?
Figure out is very commonly used. It’s used informally.
If you feel like you’ve plateaued, you haven’t. You’re simply on pause for a bit while you figure out your new direction. Think of it like stopping to reconfigure GPS coordinates. You’re already well on your way, but this is a natural part of your progress, not the end of it.
— Ryan Hart (@RyanJosephHart) June 28, 2020
Your twenties can be so hard. We forget to reassure each other that it’s okay to be struggling. We aren’t reassured that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, and that it’s completely normal to feel lost, especially when youre trying to figure out so many things.
— Kelly McClintock (@KellaMcclintock) June 29, 2020
To my #indiedev friends, making a fun game is simply not enough. If you can't figure out how to let people know your game exists, it's going nowhere. Know your audience. Figure out where to find them, and how to get their attention. #gamedev
— Rick Hall (@Stellerex64) June 29, 2020
Try using figure out!
Which of the following things can be figured out?
A. math problem
B. riddle
C. scientific concept
D. all of the above
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