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Identify Very Common

Origin: Latin suffix -ify

Identify has 7 different meanings across 1 category:

Verb

Definitions
Verb
1

recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something

"She identified the man on the `wanted' poster"

2

give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property

"Many senators were named in connection with the scandal"

"The almanac identifies the auspicious months"

3

consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else

"He identified with the refugees"

4

conceive of as united or associated

"Sex activity is closely identified with the hypothalamus"

5

identify as in botany or biology, for example

"The expert was able to identify the rare orchid by its distinctive spotted petals and waxy leaves."

6

consider to be equal or the same

"He identified his brother as one of the fugitives"

7

To establish the identity of someone or something.

"The security guard asked me to identify myself before letting me into the building."

In plain English: To identify something means to figure out exactly what it is or who someone is.

"The detective managed to identify the suspect from the security footage."

Usage: Use "identify" to mean recognizing who or what something is, such as spotting a suspect in a lineup or naming a specific object. Do not use it interchangeably with "indicate," which means to point out or suggest rather than to establish a name or nature.

Example Sentences
"The detective managed to identify the suspect from the security footage." verb
"I need to identify my driver's license at the security checkpoint." verb
"Can you help me identify this strange insect in our garden?" verb
"She struggled to identify her favorite song from the old playlist." verb
See Also
identification identity recognize student number leishman stain taxonomic overidentify telephone number
Related Terms
identification identity recognize student number leishman stain taxonomic overidentify telephone number proteotypic sarcasm detector affinity reagent phytomarker lugmark trigger happy twenty questions point out identifiably pinpoint traceability tell
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
determine denote see associate recognize
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
distinguish enumerate number announce mistake type taste

Origin

The word identify comes from the French identifier, which was formed by combining a Late Latin root meaning "same" with the verb to make or do. It entered English in the 16th century to describe the act of recognizing something as being identical to another.

Rhyming Words
ify reify waify edify deify unify ignify nidify wikify verify ramify minify aerify ossify sanify finify munify ethify notify omnify
Compare
Identify vs