-fī verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: probably from French identifier, from identité identity + -fier -fy — more at identity
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause to be or become identical : regard as identical
identified their own interests with those of the rulers
b. : to link in an inseparable fashion : make correlative with something
may not rationally identify itself with any one church
c. : to conceive as united in spirit, principle, outlook, or interest
identified himself with the middle classes
broadly : to associate or join (as oneself) with some interest (as a business or political party)
2.
a. : to establish the identity of
soon identified the child
: show or prove the sameness of (as with something known, stated, or possessed)
tried to identify the stolen property as his own
could not immediately identify the quotation
b. : to determine the taxonomic position of (a biological specimen)
identified it as a member of the genus Salix but could not determine the species
intransitive verb
: to be or become the same : associate in such a way as to have unity (as of interests, purpose, effect)
our tastes do not always identify
people long in association tend to identify with one another
: practice identification
to identify is to share the interests and acts of another person until identification results — C.R.Adams