identify

[ahy-den-tuh-fahy, ih-den-]

verb (used with object)

identified, identifying 

1. to recognize or establish as being a particular person or thing; verify the identity of.

   to identify handwriting; to identify the bearer of a check.

   Synonyms: determine, know, place, distinguish

2. to serve as a means of identification for.

   His gruff voice quickly identified him.

3. to make, represent to be, or regard or treat as the same or identical.

   They identified Jones with the progress of the company.

4. to associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc. (usually followed bywith ).

   He preferred not to identify himself with that group.

5. Biology.,  to determine to what group (a given specimen) belongs.

6. Psychology.,  to associate (one or oneself ) with another person or a group of persons by identification.

verb (used without object)

identified, identifying 

1. to associate oneself in feeling, interest, action, etc., with a specified group or belief system (usually followed by as orwith ).

   He identifies as bisexual. She identifies with feminism. My family identifies Hispanic.

2. to experience psychological identification.

   The audience identified with the play's characters.

identify

/ aɪˈdɛntɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. to prove or recognize as being a certain person or thing; determine the identity of

2. to consider as the same or equivalent

3. to consider (oneself) as similar to another

4. to determine the taxonomic classification of (a plant or animal)

5. psychol to engage in identification

Other Word Forms

• identifiable adjective
• identifiably adverb
• identifiability noun
• identifiableness noun
• identifier noun
• overidentify verb
• preidentify verb (used with object)
• reidentify verb (used with object)
• unidentifiable adjective
• unidentifiably adverb
• unidentified adjective
• unidentifying adjective
• well-identified adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of identify¹

First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin identificāre, equivalent to identi(tās) identity + -ficāre -fy

Example Sentences

Judges have been fired, and the Pentagon has said it is identifying military lawyers and judges to temporarily sit on the bench.

From Los Angeles Times

A far-right political activist released hidden camera footage this week of a Justice Department official claiming the agency would redact the names of Republicans, but not Democrats, identified in the files.

From Los Angeles Times

Cummins has photographed the band for three decades, and always admired how Oasis fans identified with their working-class insouciance and biting humor.

From Los Angeles Times

“Each count must identify the particular legal basis for liability and contain specific factual allegations that support each cause of action within each count,” Cannon wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

You could assume that Sterling looked to Chelsea to identify solutions to the problem.

From BBC

Related Words

• analyze 
• classify 
• describe 
• determine 
• diagnose 
• establish 
• find 
• name 
• pinpoint 
• select 
• single out 
• spot