find
Americanverb (used with object)
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to come upon by chance; meet with.
He found a nickel in the street.
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to locate, attain, or obtain by search or effort.
to find an apartment; to find happiness.
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to locate or recover (something lost or misplaced).
I can't find my blue socks.
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to discover or perceive after consideration.
to find something to be true.
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to gain or regain the use of.
His anger finally helped him find his tongue.
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to ascertain by study or calculation.
to find the sum of several numbers.
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to feel or perceive.
He finds it so.
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to become aware of, or discover (oneself ), as being in a condition or location.
After a long illness, he found himself well again. She woke to find herself at home.
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to discover.
Columbus found America in 1492.
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Law.
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to determine after judicial inquiry.
to find a person guilty.
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to pronounce as an official act (an indictment, verdict, or judgment).
-
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to provide or furnish.
Bring blankets and we'll find the rest of the equipment for the trip.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. (of farm animals) to give birth to.
The brown cow found a calf yesterday.
verb (used without object)
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to determine an issue after judicial inquiry.
The jury found for the plaintiff.
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British Hunting. to come upon game.
noun
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an act of finding or discovering.
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something found; a discovery, especially a valuable or gratifying one.
Our cook was a find.
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Hunting. a discovery of game, especially foxes.
verb phrase
idioms
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find fault. fault.
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find oneself, to discover where one's real interests or talents lie, and follow them.
After trying many occupations, he finally found himself and became an account executive.
verb
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to meet with or discover by chance
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to discover or obtain, esp by search or effort
to find happiness
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(may take a clause as object) to become aware of; realize
he found that nobody knew
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(may take a clause as object) to regard as being; consider
I find this wine a little sour
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to look for and point out (something to be criticized)
to find fault
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(also intr) law to determine an issue after judicial inquiry and pronounce a verdict (upon)
the court found the accused guilty
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to regain (something lost or not functioning)
to find one's tongue
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to reach (a target)
the bullet found its mark
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to provide, esp with difficulty
we'll find room for you too
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to be able to pay
I can't find that amount of money
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to realize and accept one's real character; discover one's true vocation
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to become capable or confident, as in a new job
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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findsimple
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findssimple
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have foundperfect
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has foundperfect
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am findingprogressive
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are findingprogressive
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is findingprogressive
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have been findingperfect progressive
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has been findingperfect progressive
Past
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foundsimple
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had foundperfect
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was findingprogressive
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were findingprogressive
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had been findingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of find
First recorded before 900; Middle English finden, Old English findan; cognate with German finden, Dutch vinden, Old Norse finna, Gothic finthan
Explanation
To find something means to discover it. When you're strolling through a green field, you might try to find a four-leaf clover. You can find something deliberately, or by stumbling upon it, like when you find a five-dollar bill on the sidewalk. In this meaning, find means obtain, but it can also mean observe, such as when you find that reading in dim light gives you a headache. As a noun, find is the thing you discover, like your elephant costume, the best find in day of garage sale shopping.
Vocabulary lists containing find
Novel Study: The Bluest Eye, Pages 94–206
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice, Unit 3
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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.
See Examples For:
“Markets can’t find equilibrium on a binary event, so someone may be hedging. I just think the odds of a hike are very low.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Those that didn’t were desperate to find one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Hook frequently forsook food for the cat poop he always seemed to find on our lawn and in our backyard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“The resultant message is to focus on oneself and find meaning through career success.”
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I’m impressed that the two of you managed to find this many idiots who wanted to do this,” says Zara, stepping farther away from the water, into the shade of a tree.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Bernstine finds new notes in a role that typically runs to cliche.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Yet a Gallup poll released last month finds support among U.S. adults for LGBTQ+ issues in decline.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
He also finds time for dayslong biking excursions on his collection of motorcycles, and spending time with his wife, who works in furniture design, and their 22-year-old daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
But he is used to it now, he insists, and he finds it easier to navigate the night's empty streets.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
As my gaze finds its way to him, to find him maybe looking, but then looking away immediately, I feel crushed.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A number of state insurance regulators investigated the purchase in 2014 and found no irregularities, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
While that figure is higher than most, school districts’ fixed costs have been found to be a third of overall district costs at minimum, and generally higher.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The plant can grow up five metres high, and it is usually found in places with damp soils, such as riverbanks and coastal areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The group continues to face legal proceedings following a recall, initiated in 2021, of its DreamStation sleep apnoea devices, found to stop working intermittently.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
If she suddenly stops asking questions, the men might think they’d found her out.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The document emphasizes marriage as a requirement for sex, and gives a nod to the “success sequence” of completing school, finding gainful employment, getting married, and then having children.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
‘We have robust processes in place for finding big winners and letting them run. We are also good at cutting when we see early signs of fatigue.’
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
He also said volunteers are increasingly finding larger canisters rather than the smaller silver versions that were once more common.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“So I think I just need to do a better job getting back to that and finding where I was a month ago.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Clare stumbled and rolled, somehow finding his feet in the forward momentum.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
