find

verb
/ˈfaɪ̯nd/US/ˈfa̝ːn(d)//ˈfʌɪ̯nd/CA

Etymology

From Middle English finden, from Old English findan, from Proto-West Germanic *finþan, from Proto-Germanic *finþaną, a secondary verb from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to go, pass; path bridge”). See also West Frisian fine, Low German finden, Dutch vinden, German finden, Danish finde, Norwegian Bokmål finne, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish finna; also English path, Old Irish étain (“I find”), áitt (“place”), Latin pōns (“bridge”), Ancient Greek πόντος (póntos, “sea”), Old Armenian հուն (hun, “ford”), Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬧𐬙𐬃 (paṇtā̊), Sanskrit पथ (pathá, “path”), Proto-Slavic *pǫtь. For the meaning development compare Proto-Slavic *najьti > Russian найти́ (najtí), akin to Proto-Slavic *jьti > идти́ (idtí); Russian находи́ть (naxodítʹ), нахо́дка (naxódka), akin to ход (xod), ходи́ть (xodítʹ).

  1. inherited from *pent-
  2. inherited from *finþaną
  3. inherited from *finþan
  4. inherited from findan
  5. inherited from finden

Definitions

  1. To locate

    • I found this shell on the beach.
    • She arrived home to find that the house had gone up in flames.
    • Searching the window for a flint, I found/This paper, thus sealed up.
  2. To discover by study or experiment directed to an object or end.

    • Water is found to be a compound substance.
    • The researchers found the two variables to be strongly correlated.
  3. To gain, as the object of desire or effort.

    • to find leisure; to find means
    • And in thoſe dayes ſhall men ſeke deeth / and ſhall nott fynde hyt / ſhall deſyre to deye / and deeth ſhall flye frõ them.
  4. + 12 more definitions
    1. To attain to

      To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.

      • Looks like he found a new vehicle for himself!
    2. To meet with

      To meet with; to receive.

      • The proposal found little support within the government.
      • Among newer procedures, the Robb and Steinberg contrast visualization of cardiac chambers and venous catheterization of the right heart have found the broadest study and application.
    3. To point out.

      • He kept finding faults with my work.
    4. To decide that, to conclude that, to form the opinion that, to consider.

      • I find your argument unsatisfactory.
      • I found it strange {sleeping - to sleep} in your house last night.
      • I find you passing gentle.
    5. To arrive at, as a conclusion

      To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.

      • to find a verdict; to find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person
      • to find his title with some shows of truth
    6. To supply

      To supply; to furnish.

      • to find food for workmen
    7. To provide for

      • He finds his nephew in money.
      • They stand idle in the market-place, not because they have not been hired, but because they do not want to be hired; being able to live like the Lazzaroni of Naples, on "Midshipman's half-pay—nothing a day, and find yourself."
      • the pay is good, the musterer receiving ten shillings a day, and all found, all the time he is engaged on the "run," even should he be compelled to remain idle on account of rain or mist.
    8. To determine or judge.

      • The jury finds for the defendant.
    9. To successfully pass to or shoot the ball into.

      • Peters finds Jinkins, who is running down the left wing.
      • Van Persie scored a hat-trick against Wigan on Saturday and should have found the net again after Bendtner found him at the far post but the Dutchman's header rebounded to safety off the crossbar.
    10. To discover game.

      • They found at once, and there was a short sharp run, during which Linda and Tony, both in a somewhat showing-off mood, rode side by side over the stone walls.
    11. Anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a…

      Anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.

      • One of the most exciting finds made by Chinese archaeologists within the last twenty years are the sites located in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning Province, particularly the Neolithic Hung-shan culture (c. 3500-2500 B.C.E.).
    12. The act of finding.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at find. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01find02gain03receive04goods05sold06military07army08working09solving10solve

A definitional loop anchored at find. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at find

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA