identify
verb/aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/
/aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they identify | /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ |
| he / she / it identifies | /aɪˈdentɪfaɪz/ /aɪˈdentɪfaɪz/ |
| past simple identified | /aɪˈdentɪfaɪd/ /aɪˈdentɪfaɪd/ |
| past participle identified | /aɪˈdentɪfaɪd/ /aɪˈdentɪfaɪd/ |
| -ing form identifying | /aɪˈdentɪfaɪɪŋ/ /aɪˈdentɪfaɪɪŋ/ |
- (also informal ID)to recognize somebody/something and be able to say who or what they are
- identify somebody/something She was able to identify her attacker.
- Passengers were asked to identify their own suitcases before they were put on the plane.
- identify yourself Many of those arrested refused to identify themselves (= would not say who they were).
- identify somebody/something as somebody/something The bodies were identified as those of two suspected terrorists.
- identify somebody/something by something two species of waterbirds that can be identified by their distinctive beaks
Synonyms identifyidentifyknow ▪ recognize ▪ name ▪ make somebody/something outThese words all mean to be able to see or hear somebody/something and especially to be able to say who or what they are.identify to be able to say who or what somebody/something is:- She was able to identify her attacker.
- I recognized him as soon as he came in the room.
- The victim has not yet been named.
- I could just make out a figure in the darkness.
- to identify/know/recognize somebody/something by something
- to identify/recognize/name somebody/something as somebody/something
- to identify/know/recognize/make out who/what/how…
- to easily/barely/just identify/recognize/make out somebody/something
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmenta2- All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines.
- Did you identify all the pictures correctly?
- I could identify him easily if I saw him again.
- Jaime successfully identified all 45 different species.
- Most students failed to identify the quotation.
- Ms. Wilson was publicly identified as a CIA operative.
- The newspaper declined to identify the source of the allegations.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accurately
- correctly
- rightly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can
- …
- efforts to identify somebody/something
- a means of identifying somebody/something
- a way of identifying somebody/something
- …
- closely
- completely
- fully
- …
- can
- closely
- clearly
- increasingly
- …
- to find or discover somebody/something
- identify somebody/something First of all we must identify the problem areas.
- Scientists have identified the gene responsible for the disease.
- As yet they have not identified a buyer for the company.
- to identify a need/factor/source/cause
- identify what, which, etc… They are trying to identify what is wrong with the present system.
Extra Examples- Business trends are rapidly identified by this system.
- He has stepped up efforts to identify and acquire other small companies.
- The new test will enable us to identify more accurately patients who are most at risk.
- The researchers hope to identify ways to improve the treatment.
- a computer program to automatically identify any query ending with a question mark
- We have not yet clearly identified the source of the pollution.
- Scientists have identified a link between diet and cancer.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accurately
- correctly
- rightly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can
- …
- efforts to identify somebody/something
- a means of identifying somebody/something
- a way of identifying somebody/something
- …
- closely
- completely
- fully
- …
- can
- closely
- clearly
- increasingly
- …
- identify somebody/something (as somebody/something) to make it possible to recognize who or what somebody/something is
- In many cases, the clothes people wear identify them as belonging to a particular social class.
- a serial number that uniquely identifies the disk
Word Originmid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘treat as being identical with’): from medieval Latin identificare, from late Latin identitas (from Latin idem ‘same’) + Latin -ficare (from facere ‘make’).
Check pronunciation:
identify