WordWeb Online

1. The act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
   "the finding of molecular structures";
   - determination
    
2. (law) the decision of a court on issues of fact or law
    
3. Something that is found
   "the findings in the gastrointestinal tract indicate that he died several hours after dinner"; "an area rich in archaeological findings"

1. Come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost
   "Did you find your glasses?"; "I cannot find my gloves!";
   - regain
    
2. Come upon, as if by accident; meet with
   "We find this idea in Plato";
   - happen, chance, bump, encounter
    
3. Determine the existence, presence, or fact of
   "We found traces of lead in the paint";
   - detect, observe, discover, notice
    
4. Establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
   "The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize"; "find the product of two numbers";
   - determine, find out, ascertain
    
5. Come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuition, or indefinite grounds
   "I find him to be obnoxious"; "I found the movie rather entertaining";
   - feel
    
6. Perceive or be contemporaneous with
   "We found Republicans winning the offices";
   - witness, see
    
7. Get something or somebody for a specific purpose
   "I found this gadget that will serve as a bottle opener";
   - line up, get hold, come up
    
8. Make a discovery, make a new finding
   "Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle";
   - discover
    
9. Obtain through effort or management
   "She found the time and energy to take care of her aging parents"; "We found the money to send our sons to college"
    
10. Decide on and make a declaration about
    "find someone guilty";
    - rule
     
11. Be subject to a specified treatment or analysis
    "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation";
    - receive, get, obtain, incur
     
12. Perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place
    "I found myself in a difficult situation"; "When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room"
     
13. Get or get back; recover the use of
    "She found her voice and replied quickly";
    - recover, retrieve, regain
     
14. Succeed in reaching; arrive at
    "The arrow found its mark"
     
15. Accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation
    "My son went to Berkeley to find himself";
    - find oneself

Derived forms: findings

Type of: acquire, arrive at, article, attain, change, comprehend, conceive, conceptualise [Brit], conceptualize, conclude, descry, discovery, espy, experience, find, gain, gestate, get, go through, grow, hit, judge, judgement, judgment, judicial decision, label, make, maturate, mature, object, perceive, physical object, pronounce, reach, reason, reason out, see, sight, spot, spy, uncovering

Antonym: lose

Encyclopedia: Finding