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Synonyms

figure out

British  

verb

  1. to calculate or reckon

  2. to understand

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
figure out Idioms  

  1. Discover or determine, as in Let's figure out a way to help . [Early 1900s]

  2. 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.

This is partly why she pursued the research: She wanted to figure out what characterizes the few with the fattest paychecks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

JD: It is very different from now, where someone has to figure out how to present their music live, and they don’t really know how to, and it’s this reverse pressure.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Travelers could again face longer lines at airport security checkpoints if Congress doesn’t figure out a way to fund the Department of Homeland Security this week.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

"I have like my newborn baby strapped to my chest when we're having these phone calls," she says, "trying to figure out if all of this could work."

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

But between the creature's rapidly flapping wings and wide-open mouth, he couldn't figure out how to grab it.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

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.