figure out
Britishverb
-
to calculate or reckon
-
to understand
-
Discover or determine, as in Let's figure out a way to help . [Early 1900s]
-
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.
One area he’s pursuing is using AI to automate inventory forecasting and replenishment, helping managers figure out what they need to order and potentially even placing the orders for them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
I said something like: “Please don’t go home. Your child needs oxygen. She has pneumonia. We will figure out a way to pay for this, because we acknowledge what we do is expensive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Hearing the futile spinning of tires, neighbors came out en masse to figure out how to solve the problem.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
McElwee’s last documentary, 2011’s “Photographic Memory,” saw Adrian as a young adult, trying to come into his own and figure out his place in life amid a shifting social landscape riddled with digital black holes.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
I’m irritated that Dr. Crowchild keeps asking me to figure out what my automatic and unconscious negative thoughts are.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
