identification
Americannoun
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identifications
plural
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an act or instance of identifying; the state of being identified.
- Synonyms:
- affiliation, connection, association
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something that identifies a person, animal, or thing.
He carries identification with him at all times.
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Sociology. acceptance as one's own of the values and interests of a social group.
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Psychology.
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a process by which one ascribes to oneself the qualities or characteristics of another person.
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(in psychoanalytic theory) the transference or reaction to one person with the feelings or responses relevant to another, as the identification of a teacher with a parent.
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perception of another as an extension of oneself.
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noun
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the act of identifying or the state of being identified
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something that identifies a person or thing
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( as modifier )
an identification card
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psychol
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the process of recognizing specific objects as the result of remembering
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the process by which one incorporates aspects of another person's personality See also empathy
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the transferring of a response from one situation to another because the two bear similar features See also generalization
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of identification
First recorded in 1635–45; identi(fy) + -fication
Explanation
Identification is what you show when someone wants proof of who you are. When you get pulled over by a cop for speeding, you better have your driver’s license on you as your form of identification! Identification isn’t just the card or passport you carry around in your wallet to prove who you are to others. You can also have an identification with a person if you share common beliefs, traditions, or values; then you can say that you identify with that person. Identification can also mean the process of recognizing or identifying something. You may have to wait to adopt that stray dog until the pound has put the pooch through an identification process, trying to see if he already belongs to another family.
Vocabulary lists containing identification
Travel
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"The Interlopers" and "An Interview with the King of Terror"
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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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:
"Agencies are currently undertaking the proper recovery and identification of the remains in accordance with established procedures," Cayabyab said.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The second paper by the same authors, "Some very hard ground to heave': DNA identification of Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop, HMS Terror," appears in Polar Record.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
OKX requires identification and a matching selfie to open a wallet on its platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The registration fees, along with driver’s license costs and other fees related to the California Highway Patrol and identification cards collected by the DMV, are the primary funding sources of the CHP and DMV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
He could have been found somewhere, unconscious and without identification.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
The latest DNA identifications provide new insight into what happened during the expedition's final stages while also resolving a 166-year-old mystery surrounding one sailor's identity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Miles also presented scientific studies on the flaws of eyewitness identifications, and collected DNA evidence didn’t match him, according to the Innocence Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
This led to a deeper look into other factors contributing to wrongful convictions, including prosecutorial misconduct and mistaken eyewitness identifications, especially those made by witnesses with different racial backgrounds from the suspects.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Algae-heads have flocked to the posts to share their own photos, hazard species-level identifications, and talk trash.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
Faces are a mercy; most identifications come after scrutiny of birthmarks, scraps of clothing, scars.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
