Identify Identified Aɪˈdentɪfaɪ Latin Somebody/Something Verb Attacker Passengers

• she was able to identify her attacker.
• passengers were asked to identify their own suitcases before they were put on the plane.
• many of those arrested refused to identify themselves (= would not say who they were).
• the bodies were identified as those of two suspected drug dealers.

identify

Verb Forms

1. to recognize somebody/something and be able to say who or what they are
• She was able to identify her attacker.
• Passengers were asked to identify their own suitcases before they were put on the plane.
• Many of those arrested refused to identify themselves (= would not say who they were).
• The bodies were identified as those of two suspected drug dealers.
• two species of waterbirds that can be identified by their distinctive beaks

Extra Examples

• 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.
2. to find or discover 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
• 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.
3. 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 Origin

• mid 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’).