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.
The father-of-four is constantly ferrying the kids - aged between seven and 13 - to endless activities including taekwondo, swimming and drumming, as well helping them figure out their homework.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
Son suggested that it could take years, perhaps a decade or more, to figure out how to address the challenges of orbital data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026
“I think we’re still trying to figure out what the use case is,” said Sara Araghi, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 27, 2026
Maybe he’ll get more screen time when the digital animators figure out how to make him look more realistic.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
Knowing my old grandpa as I did, I had the feeling that he was trying to tell me something but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
