as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
a book of brainteasers that even a really clever person won't have an easy time figuring out
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of figure out
Last year, the administration made broad cuts to federal funding for minority-serving institutions, leaving California colleges scrambling to figure out how to replace or do without the money.
—
Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Most of the economic papers trying to figure out the impact of AI on labor demand use the BLS’s Current Population Survey.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Thus began a yearlong adventure in harnessing the efforts of over 50 college students to figure out how to map a cemetery with over 6,000 headstones and virtually no records.
—Robbyn Abbitt, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
Taking this approach minimizes the frustration of figuring out where to store something and ensures everything has a logical place in your home.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for figure out
Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Most of the economic papers trying to figure out the impact of AI on labor demand use the BLS’s Current Population Survey.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Thus began a yearlong adventure in harnessing the efforts of over 50 college students to figure out how to map a cemetery with over 6,000 headstones and virtually no records.
—Robbyn Abbitt, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
Taking this approach minimizes the frustration of figuring out where to store something and ensures everything has a logical place in your home.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for figure out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figure out
Verb
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Administration officials said the plan will help the West move beyond complaining about the problem of access to critical minerals to actually solving it.—
DIDI TANG,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
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The levees that solved its flooding concerns also hampered its growth.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like Cincinnati police, Schuler said sheriff's office supervisors usually take on complaints regarding less severe policy violations, such as a deputy speeding on a highway or answering the phone rudely.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Feb. 2026
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Kansas City has a lot of questions to answer in the offseason following a losing season and an ACL injury for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His first ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy that changes his life forever.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
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Winning Over the Rink Around the same time, Youngblood was grooming hockey dad Eric Perardi, the coach and real-estate developer, who was quietly unraveling amid a bitter divorce.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Last month, Vice President JD Vance met with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok to speak about how the dispute involving Coupang might be resolved.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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By incorporating wind dynamics into their calculations, the researchers resolved long-standing discrepancies between theoretical models and real-world data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figure out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figure%20out. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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