FIGURE OUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does figure out mean? 

• FIGURE OUT (verb)
  The verb FIGURE OUT has 1 sense:

1. find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of

  Familiarity information: FIGURE OUT used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FIGURE OUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

figure out; lick; puzzle out; solve; work; work out

Context example:

He could not work the math problem

Hypernyms (to "figure out" is one way to...):

understand (know and comprehend the nature or meaning of)

"Figure out" entails doing...:

reason (think logically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "figure out"):

answer; resolve (understand the meaning of)

riddle (explain a riddle)

strike (arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing)

guess; infer (guess correctly; solve by guessing)

answer (give the correct answer or solution to)

break (find the solution or key to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Astronomers are still trying to figure out why this burst is so odd, and how this event relates to the more luminous gamma-ray bursts seen at much greater distances.

(NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event, NASA)

The process is like being given a slice of cake and trying to figure out the recipe by tasting it.

(Experiments recreate aromatic flavors of Titan, NASA)

If EHT observed changes in the structure of the black hole's environment, data from these missions and other telescopes could be used to help figure out what was going on.

(Black Hole Image Makes History, NASA)

Because denser plasma oscillates faster, the team was able to figure out the density of the plasma.

(Sun sends more 'tsunami waves' to Voyager 1, NASA)

If we know how fast they diffuse we can figure out how long the minerals were stored in the magma.

(‘Crystal clocks’ used to time magma storage before volcanic eruptions, University of Cambridge)

The newly discovered planet, called OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb, aids scientists in their quest to figure out the distribution of planets in our galaxy.

('Iceball' Planet Discovered Through Microlensing, NASA)

In the early stages, your health care provider will look at your symptoms and medical history, to figure out whether you have Lyme disease.

(Lyme Disease, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Looking at these factors can help you figure out whether you have a higher risk for certain health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

(Family History, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

In the future, the researchers think the device could be used to not only diagnose cancer but also figure out if a treatment is working, or even serve as treatment itself.

(Magnetic Wires May Soon Be Used in Your Veins to Detect Cancer Earlier, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Now we are going to try to figure out where the electrons come from that are generating them.

(Jupiter's North Pole Unlike Anything Encountered in Solar System, NASA)