Adjacent Words

Find definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FIND, v.t. pret. and pp. found. [L. venio; but in sense, with invenio. The primary sense is to come to, to rush, to fall on, to meet, to set on.]
1. Literally, to come to; to meet; hence, to discover by the eye; to gain first sight or knowledge of something lost; to recover either by searching for it or by accident.
Doth she not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? and when she hath found it -
Luke 15.
2. To meet; to discover something not before seen or known.
He saith to him, we have found the Messiah. John 1.
3. To obtain by seeking.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find.
Matthew 7.
4. To meet with.
In woods and forests thou art found.
5. To discover or know by experience.
The torrid zone is now found habitable.
6. To reach; to attain to; to arrive at.
Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7.
7. To discover by study, experiment or trial. Air and water are found to be compound substances. Alchimists long attempted to find the philosopher's stone, but it is not yet found.
8. To gain; to have; as, to find leisure for a visit.
9. To perceive; to observe; to learn. I found his opinions to accord with my own.
10. To catch; to detect.
When first found in a lie, talk to him of it as a strange monstrous matter.
In this sense find is usually followed by out.
11. To meet.
In ills their business and their glory find.
12. To have; to experience; to enjoy.
Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure. Isaiah 58.
13. To select; to choose; to designate.
I have found David my servant. Psalms 89.
14. To discover and declare the truth of disputed facts; to come to a conclusion and decide between parties, as a jury. The jury find a verdict for the plaintiff or defendant. They find the accused to be guilty.
15. To determine and declare by verdict. The jury have found a large sum in damages for the plaintiff.
16. To establish or pronounce charges alleged to be true. The grand jury have found a bill against the accused, or they find a true bill.
17. To supply; to furnish. Who will find the money or provisions for this expedition? We will find ourselves with provisions and clothing.
18. To discover or gain knowledge of by touching or by sounding. We first sounded and found bottom at the depth of ninety five fathoms on the Sole bank.
To find one's self, to be; to fare in regard to ease or pain, health or sickness. Pray, sir, how do you find yourself this morning.
To find in, to supply; to furnish; to provide.
He finds his nephew in money, victuals and clothes.
1. To find out. To invent; to discover something before unknown.
A man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold - and to find out every device. 2Chon. 2.
2. To unriddle; to solve; as, to find out the meaning of a parable of an enigma.
3. To discover; to obtain knowledge of what is hidden; as, to find out a secret.
4. To understand; to comprehend.
Canst thou by searching find out God? Job 11.
5. To detect; to discover; to bring to light; as, to find out a thief or a theft; to find out a trick.
To find fault with, to blame; to censure.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a productive insight [syn: discovery, breakthrough, find]
2: the act of discovering something [syn: discovery, find, uncovering] v
1: come upon, as if by accident; meet with; "We find this idea in Plato"; "I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here"; "She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day" [syn: find, happen, chance, bump, encounter]
2: discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint" [syn: detect, observe, find, discover, notice]
3: come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost; "Did you find your glasses?"; "I cannot find my gloves!" [syn: find, regain] [ant: lose]
4: establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize" [syn: determine, find, find out, ascertain]
5: come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds; "I feel that he doesn't like me"; "I find him to be obnoxious"; "I found the movie rather entertaining" [syn: find, feel]
6: perceive or be contemporaneous with; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see a lot of cheating in this school"; "The 1960's saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see results" [syn: witness, find, see]
7: get something or somebody for a specific purpose; "I found this gadget that will serve as a bottle opener"; "I got hold of these tools to fix our plumbing"; "The chairman got hold of a secretary on Friday night to type the urgent letter" [syn: line up, get hold, come up, find]
8: make a discovery, make a new finding; "Roentgen discovered X-rays"; "Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle" [syn: discover, find]
9: make a discovery; "She found that he had lied to her"; "The story is false, so far as I can discover" [syn: discover, find]
10: obtain through effort or management; "She found the time and energy to take care of her aging parents"; "We found the money to send our sons to college"
11: decide on and make a declaration about; "find someone guilty" [syn: rule, find]
12: receive a specified treatment (abstract); "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions" [syn: receive, get, find, obtain, incur]
13: perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place; "I found myself in a difficult situation"; "When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room"
14: get or find back; recover the use of; "She regained control of herself"; "She found her voice and replied quickly" [syn: recover, retrieve, find, regain]
15: succeed in reaching; arrive at; "The arrow found its mark"
16: accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation; "My son went to Berkeley to find himself" [syn: find oneself, find]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (found; finding) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English findan; akin to Old High German findan to find, Latin pont-, pons bridge, Greek pontos sea, Sanskrit patha way, course Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to come upon often accidentally ; encounter b. to meet with (a particular reception) <hoped to find favor> 2. a. to come upon by searching or effort <must find a suitable person for the job> b. to discover by study or experiment <find an answer> c. to obtain by effort or management <find the time to study> d. attain, reach <the bullet found its mark> 3. a. to discover by the intellect or the feelings ; experience <find much pleasure in your company> b. to perceive (oneself) to be in a certain place or condition c. to gain or regain the use or power of <trying to find his tongue> d. to bring (oneself) to a realization of one's powers or of one's proper sphere of activity <must help the student to find himself as an individual — N. M. Pusey> 4. a. provide, supply b. to furnish (room and board) especially as a condition of employment 5. to determine and make a statement about <find a verdict> <found her guilty> intransitive verb to determine a case judicially by a verdict <find for the defendant> • findable adjective II. noun Date: 1825 1. an act or instance of finding 2. something found: as a. a valuable discovery <an archaeological find> b. a person whose ability proves to be unexpectedly good

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. (past and past part. found) 1 a discover by chance or effort (found a key). b become aware of. c (absol.) discover game, esp. a fox. 2 a get possession of by chance (found a treasure). b obtain, receive (idea found acceptance). c succeed in obtaining (cannot find the money; can't find time to read). d summon up (found courage to protest). e sl. steal. 3 a seek out and provide (will find you a book). b supply, furnish (each finds his own equipment). 4 ascertain by study or calculation or inquiry (could not find the answer). 5 a perceive or experience (find no sense in it; find difficulty in breathing). b (often in passive) recognize or discover to be present (the word is not found in Shakespeare). c regard or discover from experience (finds England too cold; you'll find it pays; find it impossible to reply). 6 Law (of a jury, judge, etc.) decide and declare (found him guilty; found that he had done it; found it murder). 7 reach by a natural or normal process (water finds its own level). 8 a (of a letter) reach (a person). b (of an address) be adequate to enable a letter etc. to reach (a person). 9 archaic reach the conscience of. --n. 1 a a discovery of treasure, minerals, etc. b Hunting the finding of a fox. 2 a thing or person discovered, esp. when of value. Phrases and idioms: all found (of an employee's wages) with board and lodging provided free. find against Law decide against (a person), judge to be guilty. find fault see FAULT. find favour prove acceptable. find one's feet 1 become able to walk. 2 develop one's independent ability. find for Law decide in favour of (a person), judge to be innocent. find it in one's heart (esp. with neg.; foll. by to + infin.) prevail upon oneself, be willing. find oneself 1 discover that one is (woke to find myself in hospital; found herself agreeing). 2 discover one's vocation. 3 provide for one's own needs. find out 1 discover or detect (a wrongdoer etc.). 2 (often foll. by about) get information (find out about holidays abroad). 3 discover (find out where we are). 4 (often foll. by about) discover the truth, a fact, etc. (he never found out). 5 devise. 6 solve. find-spot Archaeol. the place where an object is found. find one's way 1 (often foll. by to) manage to reach a place. 2 (often foll. by into) be brought or get. Derivatives: findable adj. Etymology: OE findan f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Find Find, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Found; p. pr. & vb. n. Finding.] [AS. findan; akin to D. vinden, OS. & OHG. findan, G. finden, Dan. finde, icel. & Sw. finna, Goth. fin?an; and perh. to L. petere to seek, Gr. ? to fall, Skr. pat to fall, fly, E. petition.] 1. To meet with, or light upon, accidentally; to gain the first sight or knowledge of, as of something new, or unknown; hence, to fall in with, as a person. Searching the window for a flint, I found This paper, thus sealed up. --Shak. In woods and forests thou art found. --Cowley. 2. To learn by experience or trial; to perceive; to experience; to discover by the intellect or the feelings; to detect; to feel. ``I find you passing gentle.'' --Shak. The torrid zone is now found habitable. --Cowley. 3. To come upon by seeking; as, to find something lost. (a) To discover by sounding; as, to find bottom. (b) To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end; as, water is found to be a compound substance. (c) To gain, as the object of desire or effort; as, to find leisure; to find means. (d) To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire. Seek, and ye shall find. --Matt. vii. 7. Every mountain now hath found a tongue. --Byron. 4. To provide for; to supply; to furnish; as, to find food for workemen; he finds his nephew in money. Wages [pounds]14 and all found. --London Times. Nothing a day and find yourself. --Dickens.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Find Find, v. i. (Law) To determine an issue of fact, and to declare such a determination to a court; as, the jury find for the plaintiff. --Burrill.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Find Find, n. Anything found; a discovery of anything valuable; especially, a deposit, discovered by arch[ae]ologists, of objects of prehistoric or unknown origin.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(finds, finding, found) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you find someone or something, you see them or learn where they are. The police also found a pistol... I wonder if you could find me a deck of cards? VERB: V n, V n n, also V n for n 2. If you find something that you need or want, you succeed in achieving or obtaining it. So far they have not found a way to fight the virus... He has to apply for a permit and we have to find him a job... Does this mean that they haven't found a place for him? VERB: V n, V n n, V n for n, also V n for n to-inf 3. If something is found in a particular place or thing, it exists in that place. Fibre is found in cereal foods, beans, fruit and vegetables. V-PASSIVE: be V-ed 4. If you find someone or something in a particular situation, they are in that situation when you see them or come into contact with them. They found her walking alone and depressed on the beach... She returned to her east London home to find her back door forced open... Thrushes are a protected species so you will not find them on any menu. VERB: V n -ing, V n -ed, V n prep/adv 5. If you find yourself doing something, you are doing it without deciding or intending to do it. It's not the first time that you've found yourself in this situation... I found myself having more fun than I had had in years... It all seemed so far away from here that he found himself quite unable to take it in. VERB: V pron-refl prep/adv, V pron-refl -ing, V pron-refl adj 6. If you find that something is the case, you become aware of it or realize that it is the case. The two biologists found, to their surprise, that both groups of birds survived equally well... At my age I would find it hard to get another job... We find her evidence to be based on a degree of oversensitivity... I've never found my diet a problem. VERB: V that, V it adj to-inf, V n to-inf, V n n 7. When a court or jury decides that a person on trial is guilty or innocent, you say that the person has been found guilty or not guilty. She was found guilty of manslaughter and put on probation for two years... When they found us guilty, I just went blank. VERB: be V-ed adj, V n adj 8. You can use find to express your reaction to someone or something. We're sure you'll find it exciting!... I find it ludicrous that nothing has been done to protect passengers from fire... But you'd find him a good worker if you showed him what to do. VERB: V n adj, V it adj that, V n n 9. If you find a feeling such as pleasure or comfort in a particular thing or activity, you experience the feeling mentioned as a result of this thing or activity. How could anyone find pleasure in hunting and killing this beautiful creature?... I was too tired and frightened to find comfort in that familiar promise. VERB: V n in -ing, V n in n 10. If you find the time or money to do something, you succeed in making or obtaining enough time or money to do it. I was just finding more time to write music... My sister helped me find the money for a private operation. VERB: V n, V n 11. If you describe someone or something that has been discovered as a find, you mean that they are valuable, interesting, good, or useful. Another of his lucky finds was a pair of candle-holders... His discovery was hailed as the botanical find of the century. N-COUNT: usu adj N 12. see also finding, found 13. If you find your way somewhere, you successfully get there by choosing the right way to go. After a while I pulled myself to my feet and found my way to the street. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep/adv 14. If something finds its way somewhere, it comes to that place, especially by chance. It is one of the very few Michelangelos that have found their way out of Italy... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR adv/prep 15. to find fault with: see fault to find one's feet: see foot

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Discover, fall upon, light upon, meet with, fall in with. 2. Obtain, get, procure, gain arrive at, attain to. 3. Observe, remark, notice, perceive, discover. 4. Detect, catch. 5. Supply, furnish, contribute, provide. 6. Supply with food. 7. (Law.) Determine judicially, declare by verdict. II. v. n. (Law.) Declare a verdict, determine an issue, decide. III. n. Discovery.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodate, accomplish, achieve, acquire, act on, afford, allot, approach, arouse, arrive, arrive at, arrive in, ascertain, assign, attain, attain to, awaken, bargain, be informed, be received, become acquainted with, become aware of, blow in, boast, bob up, bonus, boon, bring to light, bringing to light, broaden the mind, bump into, buried treasure, call up, casual discovery, catch, catch sight of, catching, chance discovery, check in, clock in, clothe, collect, come, come across, come in, come to, come to hand, come up with, command, conclude, condemn, consider, contribute, cram the mind, deal, decide, declare, decree, deduce, derive, descry, detect, detection, determination, determine, determining, diamond, dig up, discern, disclosure, discover, discovery, distinguish, distinguishment, donate, doom, draw a conclusion, draw an inference, encounter, endow, espial, espy, excavation, exhumation, experience, exposure, extract, fall in with, fetch, fetch up at, fill, fill up, find against, find for, find out, find out about, finding, finding out, finger, fix, foundling, fund, furnish, gain, gain knowledge, gather, gather up, gem, get, get back, get hold of, get in, get there, get to, give, glean, godsend, good thing, gravy, hit, hit town, hit upon, hunt down, identify, induce, infer, invent, invention, invest, jewel, judge, keep, lay, learn, learn about, light upon, load the mind, locate, locating, location, lucky strike, maintain, make, make a decision, make available, make it, make provision for, manage, mark, meet with, muster up, note, notice, obtain, order, pass judgment, pass sentence, pearl, perceive, pick up information, plum, point to, pop up, prepare, present, pride, pride and joy, prize, procure, pronounce, pronounce judgment, pronounce on, provide, provide for, pull in, punch in, reach, realize, reason, reason that, recognition, recognize, recoup, recover, recruit, rediscover, rediscovery, regard, remark, replenish, report, repossess, resolve, return a verdict, reveal, revelation, ring in, roll in, rouse, rule, rumble, run down, run to earth, scare up, secure, see, sentence, serendipity, set aside, settle, show up, sight, sign in, spot, spotting, stock, store, strike, subsidize, summon up, supply, support, take as proved, think, time in, trace, trace down, track down, treasure, treasure trove, trophy, trouvaille, trove, tumble to, turn over, turn up, twig, uncover, uncovering, understand, unearth, unearthing, utter a judgment, view, waifs, waifs and strays, win, windfall, windfall money, windfall profit, winner, yield