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View synonyms for figure out

figure out

verb

  1. to calculate or reckon
  2. to understand
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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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?

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

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

 

How is figure out used in real life?

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

 

 

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

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