identify
Frequently Asked Questions
- recognize—to be able to tell what something is (and often to know its name), as in He immediately identified/recognized it as a monarch butterfly.
- diagnose or pinpoint, as in My mechanic was finally able to identify/diagnose/pinpoint the problem.
- associate, such as with a certain group or belief, as in She’s known for identifying/associating with the party’s reform wing.
- distinguish, as in Her height identified/distinguished her as the volleyball player.
- establish (who someone is), as in He has been identified/established as the main suspect. Relatedly, to identify someone is to figure out who they are—to establish their identity.
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:
Jersey Community Foundation said it would now work with healthcare providers, charities, government and businesses to identify areas where extra funding could make a difference.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The U.A.E. said al-Hammami had legal counsel, but didn’t identify his lawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Vaccarello began the difficult task of replacing France's Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent in 2016, taking several seasons to identify a fresh look for the brand while also respecting its illustrious heritage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
As for the out-of-state workers, they did not disclose their actual work locations and instead listed California addresses, limiting the office’s ability to identify the issue sooner, the spokesperson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Bobby was mortified that she couldn’t identify him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
In August, the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan congressional watchdog, said the Army hadn’t developed a detailed schedule that identifies which units will get the new capabilities and when.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Sensitivity measures how successfully the system identifies manipulated videos, making the particularly high sensitivity important for a screening tool designed to keep fake content from slipping through.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
As September draws to a close, though, Andrew Tyler’s team identifies a more favorable setup, and now is going tactically bullish as they anticipate more stable bond markets and the oil price trending lower.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The team also regularly identifies missing or incorrectly installed weep vents - which are installed in exterior walls to let moisture escape.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
At best, this book identifies several constellations of environmental factors that I believe provide a large part of the answer to Yali’s question.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Owen said "due to the suspicions raised" an internal investigation had been launched by Nationwide and had identified five victims.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
According to the UAE prosecutor, the co-pilot -- identified in reports as Hamam al-Hammami -- had previously worked for Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
MarketWatch identified comparable historic figures from Forbes’ 2007 list of the richest Americans of all time, then calculated each individual’s peak net worth as a percentage of U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
To date, neither the agency nor Taylor Farms has publicly identified what caused the cyclospora outbreak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The most hated firm on Wall Street, famous mainly for its total indifference to the good opinion of its competitors, Eisman identified with the place!
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Roughly 1,300 markers were installed along the border at the time of the armistice identifying the military demarcation line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"This season should therefore be less about simply identifying who beat consensus by the largest amount," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Prosecutor Kashif Malik told the court Kerry is alleged to have carried out online reconnaissance of "prominent people and institutions... including identifying the home address of Nigel Farage".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
After identifying the response in the lab grown microglia-like cells, the researchers tested whether the same findings could be reproduced in human brain tissue obtained through neurosurgical procedures.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
He had been told nothing about the tribes involved; all identifying context had been edited out.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Vocabulary lists containing identify
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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