identify
verb
iden·ti·fy
| \ ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī
, É™-\
, É™-\
identified;
identifying
Definition of identify
1a
: to establish the identity of
b
: to determine the taxonomic position of (a biological specimen)
2a
: to conceive as united (as in spirit, outlook, or principle)
groups that are identified with conservation
b
: to cause to be or become identical
1
: to practice psychological identification
identify with the hero of a novel
2
: to be or become the same
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Other Words from identify
identifiable
\ ī-ˌden-tə-ˈfī-ə-bəl
, É™- \
adjective
, É™- \
adjective
identifiably
\ ī-ˌden-tə-ˈfī-ə-blē
, É™- \
adverb
, É™- \
adverb
Synonyms for identify
Synonyms
distinguish, finger, ID, pinpoint, single (out)
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Examples of identify in a Sentence
She identified the dog as her lost pet.
He was able to correctly identify the mushroom.
The witness positively identified the suspect in the crime.
The corpse was identified on the basis of dental records.
They could not identify the source of the quotation.
They had no difficulty in identifying the problem.
We began by identifying what we needed for the job.
We need to identify the causes of unemployment.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Smith, 80, who's identified in court records only by his initials, C.S., also testified before the grand jury. — Dylan Segelbaum, USA TODAY, "Former Pa. scoutmaster, citizen of the year focus of inquiry into decades of sex abuse," 28 Aug. 2019 The officer, who has not been identified, was still at the hospital receiving care Wednesday morning, according to an 8:11 a.m. Denver police tweet. — Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Denver motorcycle cop in serious condition following I-70 crash in construction zone," 28 Aug. 2019 Richmond police took the teacher, who was not immediately identified, into custody Monday night. — Alejandro Serrano, SFChronicle.com, "Richmond teacher accused of inappropriate relationship with student," 27 Aug. 2019 Listing agent Harris Ali also represented the buyers, who are not yet identified in public records. — Bob Goldsborough, chicagotribune.com, "Unique McMansion-style home in Barrington sells for $1.91 million," 27 Aug. 2019 Cellphone video showed a Riverside police officer attempting to arrest the suspect, who has not been identified. — CBS News, "Police used Taser on Ohio stabbing suspect before series of crashes that killed two children," 27 Aug. 2019 The pimp, who was not identified, also allegedly forbade Barini from calling the police and discussed cutting up Zamperoni’s body to hide what happened, according to the documents. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Prostitute Arrested in Connection with Death of New York City Restaurant Head Chef," 26 Aug. 2019 According to an account provided by police, the alleged scam developed this way: The woman, who was not identified, began receiving calls reporting the imminent expiration of her computer virus software. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, "Woman’s cash recovered en route to scammers, Maryland state police say," 26 Aug. 2019 Witnesses saw a man who was later identified as Randolph wearing a white T-shirt, pink shorts and white high-top shoes walk up to Ogundana's car, knock on the window and get inside the car, according to the affidavit. — Dallas News, "Teen faces murder charge after 67-year-old man is shot trying to sell phone, Dallas police say," 25 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'identify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for identify
identify
verb
English Language Learners Definition of identify
: to know and say who someone is or what something is
: to find out who someone is or what something is
: to show who someone is or what something is
See the full definition for identify in the English Language Learners Dictionary
identify
verb
iden·ti·fy
| \ ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī
\
\
identified;
identifying
Kids Definition of identify
1
: to find out or show the identity of
… they ate … a mystery casserole that I could not identify.— Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons
2
: to feel empathy for
I identified with her problem.
3
: to think of as joined or associated with
These groups are identified with conservation.
identify
verb
iden·ti·fy
| \ ī-ˈdent-ə-ˌfī, ə-
\
\
identified;
identifying
Medical Definition of identify
: to determine the taxonomic position of (a biological specimen)
: to undergo or experience psychological identification
identify with the hero of a novel
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