The words “figure out” and “find out” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have very different meanings. When you “figure out” something, it is a conscious, intellectual activity. When you “Find out more” something, it is usually an unintentional discovery (such as learning that someone has been involved in dishonest activity). Find is a transitive verb, whereas find out is an intransitive one.
What is a better word for find out?
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘figure out.’ Send us feedback.
This article was originally published in February 2015 and has been updated.