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.
When the investigation stalled, detectives obtained what is known as a geofence warrant, directing Google to identify devices located within roughly 150 meters of the bank during the relevant hour.
From Slate • May 20, 2026
Regulators often engage such firms to understand trade flows and help identify other participants, such as hedge funds, that make directional bets on whether prices will rise or fall.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
We can identify candidates by screening the S&P 500 for stocks of companies for which rolling 12-month earnings-per-share estimates have increased significantly, even as share prices have declined this year.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
It took three days to identify the body of his brother, who was wearing the bracelet at the time.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
In a country where people identify closely with their work, the emotional fallout from the accident was enormous.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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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