Definition, synonyms and related words
An act of identification.
"The security guard spent ten minutes identifying the thief by comparing his face to the surveillance footage."
In plain English: Identifying is the act of figuring out exactly what something is or who someone is.
"The police are working on identifying the suspect from the security footage."
Usage: Use "identifying" only when referring to the specific act or process of recognizing someone or something; otherwise, use the standard noun "identification." This term is rare in everyday speech and often sounds awkward compared to its gerund form or related nouns like "recognition."
present participle of identify
"The detective spent hours identifying the suspect from the blurry security footage before making an arrest."
In plain English: Identifying means recognizing who or what something is by noticing its special features.
"The security guard is identifying everyone entering the building."
Usage: Use "identifying" when you are in the process of recognizing or establishing who or what something is. It describes the active step of pinpointing a specific person, object, or fact within a larger group.
Derived from the Latin identificare, this term combines idem (the same) with facere (to make), originally meaning to make something identical or recognize it as being the same. In English, it evolved to describe the act of establishing that two things are one and the same or determining who someone is.