Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to find a way

to find a way

863 3.3
To think of a plan to get past a problem
  • phrasal verb
: encontrar la manera de
  • We must find a way to solve this problem before the deadline.
  • need to find a way
  • try to find a way
  • find a way to make

And I couldn't find a way through the problems.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And you have to find a way to break that cycle.

  • So we must find a way to live with it.

  • So you got to find a way to help the team win.

  • We have to find a way to make for peace.

  • So when people want to find a way to meet, they can.

  • Or we can try to find a way to share the planet.

    Robinson Erhardt

  • We can find a way out of here together.

    Thunderbolts* (2025)

  • Okay, well, we should find a way to get comfortable, 'cause I think we're gonna be up here for a while.

    Fall (2022)

  • Look, I think I found a way to put real revenue stream behind your research and save thousands of lives in the process.

    RoboCop (2014)

  • Let's pray they can find a way to get a deal done.

Synonyms

to work out
vsto find a way
950 2.8

To find a solution or plan by thinking carefully

involves devising practical methods to overcome problems rather than only thinking
to work it out
vsto find a way
165 3.2

To find an answer to a problem by thinking or talking

focuses on inventing a method to overcome difficult obstacles
to find a solution
vsto find a way
41 2.7

To think of a way to solve a problem

emphasizes devising methods to achieve goals especially when things are difficult

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

surrender
77 4.2

Giving up after defeat, for example when an army stops fighting

How Practical

to devise
135 4.8
to find a way
863 3.3
to figure out
  • Informal
∞ 2.2

Surface Forms

find a way infinitive
finding a way present participle
finds a way third person singular
found a way past
found a way past participle

Morphology

find + a + way

The meaning 'discover or devise a method' is directly and transparently built from 'find' (to discover) + 'way' (method), with 'a' functioning only as an indefinite article. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift here and the composition follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Find a way may come from the image of a person looking for a path when the normal road is blocked. If they find a small way through rocks or trees, they can still get where they want, so the phrase now means 'discover or make a solution' to a problem.