figure out
Britishverb
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to calculate or reckon
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to understand
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Discover or determine, as in Let's figure out a way to help . [Early 1900s]
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Solve or decipher, as in Can you figure out this puzzle? [Early 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“That’s what everybody’s doing, because they have to … We’re all trying to figure out these ways to pay people back when we’re not making money.”
From Salon • May 15, 2026
"It shouldn't fall on just the ordinary person to have to try and figure out what's real and what isn't."
From BBC • May 15, 2026
It took James and Caley a few years to figure out patterns in James’ work — times he could leave Charlotte and not miss a consequential number of opportunities.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
“It’s hard to look at my closet and figure out what to wear every single morning,” he says.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
Dad once told me the best way to figure out what you need to fix in a piece of writing is to turn it in.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
