identify
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
identifies;
identified;
identifying
identifies;
identified;
identifying
Britannica Dictionary definition of IDENTIFY
[+ object]
1
:
to know and say who someone is or what something is
-
She identified the dog as her lost pet.
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He was able to correctly identify the mushroom.
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The witness positively identified the suspect in the crime.
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She was easily identified by what she was wearing. [=it was easy to see who she was because of what she was wearing]
-
He has a talent for identifying [=recognizing] good workers.
2
:
to find out who someone is or what something is
-
The corpse was identified on the basis of dental records.
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They could not identify the source of the quotation.
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They had no difficulty in identifying the problem.
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We began by identifying what we needed for the job.
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We need to identify the causes of unemployment.
3
:
to show who someone is or what something is
-
His clothes identified him as a clerk. [=his clothes showed that he was a clerk]
-
an identifying mark/feature [=a mark/feature that shows who someone is or what something is]
identify with
[phrasal verb]
1
identify (something) with (something)
:
to think of (something) as being the same as (something else)
-
It is a mistake to identify [=equate] being healthy with being thin.
2
identify (someone) with (something)
:
to think of (someone) as being very closely associated with (something)
— often used as (be) identified with
-
She has always been identified with the civil rights movement.
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These groups are identified with conservation.
3
identify with (someone or something)
:
to think of yourself as having the same problems and feelings as someone
-
Many readers identify with the characters in her novels.
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He could identify with the problems the athlete was having. [=he understood the problems because he had had similar problems himself]
identify yourself
:
to say who you are
-
When the police asked his name, he refused to identify himself.
-
a clearly/readily identifiable signature
-
The band has an identifiably British sound.
