FIND (found)

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does find mean? 

• FIND (noun)
  The noun FIND has 2 senses:

1. a productive insight

2. the act of discovering something

  Familiarity information: FIND used as a noun is rare.

• FIND (verb)
  The verb FIND has 16 senses:

1. come upon, as if by accident; meet with

2. discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

3. come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost

4. establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

5. come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds

6. perceive or be contemporaneous with

7. get something or somebody for a specific purpose

8. make a discovery, make a new finding

9. make a discovery

10. obtain through effort or management

11. decide on and make a declaration about

12. receive a specified treatment (abstract)

13. perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place

14. get or find back; recover the use of

15. succeed in reaching; arrive at

16. accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation

  Familiarity information: FIND used as a verb is very familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FIND (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A productive insight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

breakthrough; discovery; find

Hypernyms ("find" is a kind of...):

brainstorm; brainwave; insight (the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation)

Derivation:

find (establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study)

find (make a discovery, make a new finding)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of discovering something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

discovery; find; uncovering

Hypernyms ("find" is a kind of...):

act; deed; human action; human activity (something that people do or cause to happen)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "find"):

catching; detection; espial; spotting; spying (the act of detecting something; catching sight of something)

self-discovery (discovering your own individuality)

breakthrough (making an important discovery)

determination; finding (the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation)

rediscovery (the act of discovering again)

tracing (the discovery and description of the course of development of something)

Derivation:

find (make a discovery, make a new finding)

find (discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of)

find (come upon, as if by accident; meet with)

find (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

find (make a discovery)

• FIND (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Come upon, as if by accident; meet with

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

bump; chance; encounter; find; happen

Context example:

She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They find the money in the closet

Derivation:

find (the act of discovering something)

finder (someone who is the first to observe something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

detect; discover; find; notice; observe

Context example:

We found traces of lead in the paint

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

sight; spy (catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes)

Verb group:

discover; find (make a discovery, make a new finding)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

catch out; find out (trap; especially in an error or in a reprehensible act)

sense (detect some circumstance or entity automatically)

instantiate (find an instance of (a word or particular usage of a word))

trace (discover traces of)

see (observe as if with an eye)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

find (the act of discovering something)

finder (someone who is the first to observe something)

finding (the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation)

finding (something that is found)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

find; regain

Context example:

I cannot find my gloves!

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Verb group:

find (obtain through effort or management)

find; recover; regain; retrieve (get or find back; recover the use of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

feel (find by testing or cautious exploration)

locate; turn up (discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining)

attain; chance on; chance upon; come across; come upon; discover; fall upon; happen upon; light upon; strike (find unexpectedly)

rout out; rout up (get or find by searching)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They find the money in the closet

Antonym:

lose (miss from one's possessions; lose sight of)

Derivation:

find (the act of discovering something)

finder (someone who is the first to observe something)

finder (someone who comes upon something after searching)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

ascertain; determine; find; find out

Context example:

The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize

Verb group:

ascertain; check; determine; find out; learn; see; watch (find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort)

discover; find (make a discovery, make a new finding)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

refract (determine the refracting power of (a lens))

locate; situate (determine or indicate the place, site, or limits of, as if by an instrument or by a survey)

admeasure (determine the quantity of someone's share)

count; enumerate; number; numerate (determine the number or amount of)

sequence (determine the order of constituents in)

redetermine (fix, find, or establish again)

rectify (math: determine the length of)

translate (determine the amino-acid sequence of a protein during its synthesis by using information on the messenger RNA)

gauge (determine the capacity, volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s whether INFINITIVE

Derivation:

find (a productive insight)

finding (something that is found)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

feel; find

Context example:

I found the movie rather entertaining

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

conclude; reason; reason out (decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion)

Verb group:

find; rule (decide on and make a declaration about)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They find that there was a traffic accident

Sense 6

Meaning:

Perceive or be contemporaneous with

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

find; see; witness

Context example:

I want to see results

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

experience; go through; see (undergo or live through a difficult experience)

Verb group:

discover; find out; get a line; get wind; get word; hear; learn; pick up; see (get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally)

find (perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

catch (become aware of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

finder (someone who is the first to observe something)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Get something or somebody for a specific purpose

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

come up; find; get hold; line up

Context example:

The chairman got hold of a secretary on Friday night to type the urgent letter

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 8

Meaning:

Make a discovery, make a new finding

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

discover; find

Context example:

Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

conceive; conceptualise; conceptualize; gestate (have the idea for)

Verb group:

discover; find (make a discovery)

detect; discover; find; notice; observe (discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of)

ascertain; determine; find; find out (establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

find (a productive insight)

finding (something that is found)

find (the act of discovering something)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Make a discovery

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

discover; find

Context example:

The story is false, so far as I can discover

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

discover; find out; get a line; get wind; get word; hear; learn; pick up; see (get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally)

Verb group:

discover; find (make a discovery, make a new finding)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

rake up (bring to light)

ferret; ferret out (search and discover through persistent investigation)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Also:

find out (get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally)

Derivation:

find (the act of discovering something)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Obtain through effort or management

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

We found the money to send our sons to college

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Verb group:

find; regain (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 11

Meaning:

Decide on and make a declaration about

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

find; rule

Context example:

find someone guilty

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

judge; label; pronounce (pronounce judgment on)

Verb group:

feel; find (come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s something Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

finding (the decision of a court on issues of fact or law)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Receive a specified treatment (abstract)

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

find; get; incur; obtain; receive

Context example:

I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Verb group:

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

take (ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 13

Meaning:

Perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Verb group:

find; see; witness (perceive or be contemporaneous with)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody PP

Sense 14

Meaning:

Get or find back; recover the use of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

find; recover; regain; retrieve

Context example:

She found her voice and replied quickly

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Verb group:

find; regain (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "find"):

access (obtain or retrieve from a storage device; as of information on a computer)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Sense 15

Meaning:

Succeed in reaching; arrive at

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The arrow found its mark

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

arrive at; attain; gain; hit; make; reach (reach a destination, either real or abstract)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 16

Meaning:

Accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

find; find oneself

Context example:

My son went to Berkeley to find himself

Hypernyms (to "find" is one way to...):

grow; maturate; mature (develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

 Context examples 

His head had been horribly mutilated by an expanding revolver bullet, but no weapon of any sort was to be found in the room.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“No more have I,” said Mr. Bennet; “and I am glad to find that you do not depend on her serving you.”

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had found ourselves in the morning.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

One was found in his purse.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Also, he found great satisfaction in Edith's reading to him from the Bible.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

You may even find a new and lasting romantic interest.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Can you help me find my way?

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

I hear some of our sea Yahoos find fault with my sea-language, as not proper in many parts, nor now in use.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

He went through it a second time, very carefully, then folded it up and left it where he had found it.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I soon found out that Mrs. Gummidge did not always make herself so agreeable as she might have been expected to do, under the circumstances of her residence with Mr. Peggotty.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)