Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to figure out

to figure out

∞ 2.2
To think about something and find an answer or understand it
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈfɪɡjər aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : averiguar
  • By the time we figure it out, it's too late.
  • try to figure out
  • figure out the answer
  • figure out the problem

What about when we're trying to figure out what is that?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • This happened three consecutive times before we figured out what they were doing.

    Alene B. Duerk: The First Woman Admiral (2020)

  • We have to figure out how to fix those doors.

    Elemental (2023)

  • So they want us to figure out what this is.

  • Guess I have to figure out the rest of it now.

    iJustine

  • But with this season, it's so hard to think and figure out what to do.

  • I just have to figure out how this thing works.

    Babes (2024)

  • We just need to figure out the best ways to do it.

    Academic text (2011)

  • "Let's keep an extra eye on her until we figure out what this is all about."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • After a good laugh, they return to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong.

    Academic text (2008)

  • After hours of discussion, we finally figured out how to solve the problem.

Synonyms

to understand
vsto figure out
∞ 1.0

To know the meaning of something

often requires effort to find a solution, not only passive knowing
to find out
vsto figure out
∞ 2.1

To learn something you did not know, often by searching or asking

focuses more on discovery rather than thinking to understand meaning
to solve
vsto figure out
∞ 1.3

To find the answer to a problem or puzzle

includes solving but also understanding meaning, not only answers
to work out
vsto figure out
950 2.8

To find a solution or plan by thinking carefully

focuses on both finding answers and understanding by thought
to get it
vsto figure out
  • Informal
877 1.1

To understand something after someone explains it

can be the initial understanding achieved by active thinking instead
to determine
vsto figure out
781 2.3

To find out a fact by checking or measuring

emphasizes discovery, while the key stresses thinking to understand
to work it out
vsto figure out
165 3.2

To find an answer to a problem by thinking or talking

adds general sense of understanding as well as solving
to comprehend
vsto figure out
137 2.7

To understand the meaning of something

adds the idea of finding an answer, not just grasping meaning
to find a solution
vsto figure out
41 2.7

To think of a way to solve a problem

is broader, covering understanding as well as finding methods
to lick
vsto figure out
  • Informal
24 8.0

To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty

includes understanding but also the sense of overcoming difficulty
to suss
vsto figure out
  • UK
14 8.4

To find out what is happening by looking for facts and clues

covers thinking-only solutions as well as clue finding
to have it all figured out
vsto figure out
  • Informal
12 6.0

To understand something fully and feel sure about it

may be true or not, while the key is the solving act
to apprehend
vsto figure out
  • Formal
9 4.3

To understand the meaning of something

involves active searching for answers as well as simple grasping
to suss out
vsto figure out
  • UK
8 8.2

To find out what is really happening

is broader, not only investigative but also pure thinking
to puzzle out
vsto figure out
4 4.4

To think hard to find the answer to a difficult problem

is similar but also applies to simpler understanding moments
to reason out
vsto figure out
3 4.8

To think carefully to find an answer to a problem

covers logical thinking but also less formal understanding by thought
to dope out
vsto figure out
  • Informal
8.8

To find a plan or solution by thinking carefully

is the neutral form used in many situations beyond informality

How Clear

to master
191 4.1
to understand
∞ 1.0
to figure out
  • Informal
∞ 2.2
to work out
122 2.8
guess
768 1.0

Surface Forms

figure out infinitive
figured out past
figured out past participle
figuring out present participle
figures out third person singular

Morphology

figure + out

The verb 'figure' (to work out or reason) combined with the particle 'out' yields a compositional sense of working something to a result or understanding it. This verb+out phrasal pattern transparently signals deriving an answer or solution, a pattern common in English and recognizable to B1 learners who know both constituents.

Etymology

Figure out comes from the idea of making a clear figure, or picture, in your head and bringing it out into the open, so you 'understand' something or 'find the answer'.