I. ˈfīnd verb
( found ˈfau̇nd ; found ; finding ; finds )
Etymology: Middle English finden, from Old English findan; akin to Old English fētha foot soldier, troop of foot soldiers, Old Saxon findan, fīthan to find, fāthi act of going, Old High German findan to find, fendo, fendeo one that walks, Old Norse finna to find, Gothic finthan to find, find out, Latin pont-, pons bridge, Greek pontos sea, patos path, Sanskrit patha way, path, course; basic meaning: going, stepping
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to come upon accidentally : gain the first sight of (as something new or unknown)
found the tracks of some unknown animal
found a large stone blocking the way
the child found a coin in the street
the well diggers found a number of Indian artifacts
(2) : to fall in with (a person) : encounter
finds interesting people wherever he goes
b.
(1) : to meet with (a particular kind of reception or treatment)
he hoped to find favor in her sight
his doctrines found no acceptance among scholars
(2) : to obtain or come to have (something desirable) as if without effort
the book found a host of readers
the new product found few buyers
2.
a. : to come upon (a material object) by searching or effort
they found water at a depth of 10 feet
the committee must find a suitable man for the job
found his missing brother at last
b. : to discover by study or experience directed to an object or end
find the answer to a complex mathematical problem
scientific research is finding important new principles nearly every day — C.E.Kellogg
finds that … the volumes of the other gas … are in the ratio 1:2 — L.K.Nash
c. : to hit upon : devise , invent , contrive
found a more modern method of treating the processed material
d. : to secure or obtain (something needed or desirable) by effort or management : summon up : procure
found the time to continue his studies
find bail for a prisoner
find the courage to address a large audience
e. : to attain to : arrive at : reach
the bullet found its mark
f. : to discover by sounding
preliminary surveys failed to find any solid bottom — O.S.Nock
g. : to obtain as if by effort
the spirit of adventure … found vent in the life of the explorer — B.K.Sandwell
authors whose textbooks find publication — James Britton
the new system has found its first codification — Reporter
3. dialect : to perceive or detect by or as if by the senses ; specifically : feel , suffer
find pain
find punishment
grandpa found his rheumatism again this morning
4.
a. : to learn by experience or trial : discover by the intellect or the feelings : perceive , experience , detect , regard , feel
found him a very sensible and tactful man
find much pleasure in his company
found something repellent about the man
find no logic in his argument
found a strange odor in the room
b.
(1) : to perceive (oneself) to be in a certain place or condition
when he awoke, he found himself in a luxuriously furnished apartment
find herself in a dilemma
found themselves in the presence of the sovereigns
(2) : to perceive (oneself) to be in a certain condition with respect to health — usually used in a question
how do you find yourself to-day? — Winston Churchill
c.
(1) : to gain or regain the use or power of
after a second's pause, he found broken speech — Arthur Morrison
a baby just beginning to find her feet
(2) : to attain to (the exercise of one's inherent powers) : establish (a place or footing) in a profession or career : recover from (a financial, moral, or other downfall) — often used in such phrases as find one's wings, find one's feet
the youthful poet had just begun to find his wings
continue a small unearned allowance while his son found his feet at the bar — Geoffrey Gorer
when he found his feet the army … decided to overlook the prison record and accept his reform — Gordon Harrison
d. : to bring (oneself) to a consciousness of one's powers, capacities, or of one's proper sphere of activity : raise (oneself) to that point of efficiency, effectiveness, achievement or to that mode of life of which one is inherently capable
it was an army that had found itself — F.V.W.Mason
must help the student to find himself as an individual — N.M.Pusey
she suddenly finds herself, and becomes the acknowledged leader of all the women of the neighborhood — Vernon Jarratt
5.
a.
(1) : to provide for the use of : provide with : supply
for selected children the church finds half of this sum, leaving the parent to find the rest — Ernest & Pearl Beaglehole
— often used with in
there'd be all the neighbors to find in victuals and drink — Mary Webb
we are found in everything — house, servants, food — Rachel Henning
(2) : to provide (room and board) especially as a condition of employment : maintain
he was chopping by day's work — 75 cents a day — and found himself — Herman Melville
— often used in the phrases everything found, all found
combining business and pleasure in a new kind of holiday camp with all found — Fred Majdalany
no worries, everything found, and lots of Saturday-night spirits — Lionel Shapiro
why should you go to the workhouse? I offer you 14 pounds and everything found — George Moore
b. : to equip with what is needful or necessary
the boat comes fully found, ready to go — Holiday
6. : to arrive at (a conclusion) : come to (a finding) : determine and declare (as a verdict in a judicial proceeding) : agree or settle upon and deliver
he was found guilty
find a verdict
find a true bill of indictment against an accused person
7. chiefly Midland : to give birth to — used of animals
about February … the mother bears find their cubs — Mary Sloop
intransitive verb
1. : to discover the game or scent — used chiefly of hunting dogs
when the hounds found, they went off at a very fast clip — Scientific Monthly
harked back to the famous runs of his youth, telling me where they had found, where killed, and hazards in between — Adrian Bell
2. : to determine a case judicially or quasi-judicially by a verdict or decision — used of a court, jury, or a quasi-judicial administrative body
•
- find fault
- find in one's heart
- find one's way
II. noun
( -s )
1. : the act or an instance of finding especially something valuable : discovery
announced the find of an important manuscript
a find of high-quality ore deposits
specifically : discovery of game or a scent by a hunting dog
his first find was at the far end of one of the stubble fields — Popular Dogs
2.
a. : something that is found
any small archaeological find may provide valuable historical evidence
especially : a valuable discovery
these letters constitute a real find
an important uranium find
b. : a person whose ability or value proves to be surprisingly or unexpectedly great
the boy …, not yet 24 years old, was a find — Will Irwin
the young actress was the theatrical find of the year