figure out

verb

1. to calculate or reckon
2. to understand

Example Sentences

"Designing trees into streets early, and then figuring out win-win solutions to get in utilities and traffic access, is one of the big changes we need to make a difference."

From Science Daily

And the FDA, though now interested in phages, will have to figure out how to regulate them to keep up with evolving microbes.

From Salon

The researchers said their next steps are to conduct further studies to identify biomarkers, refine dosages, investigate sex differences and figure out how PNA5 might work.

From Science Daily

For Marsee, the next step is to figure out how to let her patients know she can provide abortions.

From Salon

Instead, I knew I had to figure out the best way to fight.

From Salon

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• arrange
• come out
• complete
• develop
• devise
• fix
• form
• formulate
• handle
• happen
• resolve
• win

More About Figure Out

What does figure out mean?

To figure out something is to understand it or solve it. To figure something out, you have to think about it.

Figure out can be used in all kinds of contexts involving things that need to be thought about to be understood or problems that require solving.

Figure out is a phrasal verb, meaning it’s a phrase that acts as a verb and includes a preposition or adverb that doesn’t really have a literal meaning—in this case, the word out. In figure out, the word out doesn’t mean what it normally does (the opposite of in) in other phrasal verbs like walk out (literally meaning to go out of a place by walking). This makes figure out an idiom, which is a term whose literal meaning can’t be predicted or understood (figured out!) from the words that make it up.

Like many phrasal verbs, figure out is typically used informally.

Figure out is often followed by the thing being understood or solved, as in I’m trying to figure out this equation or I can’t figure out why she’s mad at me. 

Sometimes, though, the thing being figured out comes in the middle of the phrase, as in I’m trying to figure this equation out.

Example: Can you help me figure out this train schedule? It seems overly complicated.

Where does figure out come from?

The first records of the phrase figure out in its modern sense come from the 1800s. The verb figure in the phrase means “to think about” or “to calculate.” The word out is used in a similar way in the phrasal verb find out, meaning “to gain knowledge of or learn about something for the first time.”

Figure out is usually used in a way that implies that understanding something requires some mental work. The phrase is often used in the context of complicated concepts, as in Scientists are in the business of figuring out how the natural world works. But it’s also commonly used for more personal problems, as in I have to figure out how I’m going to make enough money this summer to pay my tuition. You can even figure out a person—this means you understand why they do what they do and are the way they are. Someone who has their life is in order is said to have it all figured out.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for figure out?

• work out
• understand
• solve
• discern

What are some words that share a root or word element with figure out? 

• figure
• out
• find out

What are some words that often get used in discussing figure out?

 

• problem
• puzzle
• learn
• assess
• plan
• complicated
• confusing

How is figure out used in real life?

Figure out is very commonly used. It’s used informally.

If you feel like you’ve plateaued, you haven’t. You’re simply on pause for a bit while you figure out your new direction. Think of it like stopping to reconfigure GPS coordinates. You’re already well on your way, but this is a natural part of your progress, not the end of it.

— Ryan Hart (@RyanJosephHart) June 28, 2020

Your twenties can be so hard. We forget to reassure each other that it’s okay to be struggling. We aren’t reassured that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, and that it’s completely normal to feel lost, especially when youre trying to figure out so many things.

— Kelly McClintock (@KellaMcclintock) June 29, 2020

To my #indiedev friends, making a fun game is simply not enough. If you can't figure out how to let people know your game exists, it's going nowhere. Know your audience. Figure out where to find them, and how to get their attention. #gamedev

— Rick Hall (@Stellerex64) June 29, 2020

 

 

Try using figure out!

Which of the following things can be figured out?

A. math problem
B. riddle
C. scientific concept
D. all of the above