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find out

A2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive

To discover information or a fact, either by searching, asking, or being told.

In plain English

To get information you didn't know before.

What does "find out" mean?

2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 A2 neutral

To discover a fact or piece of information by searching, asking, or investigating.

"I need to find out what time the train leaves tomorrow."

"We shall fight on the beaches... we shall never surrender, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation — find out what they can do."

separable
2 B1 idiomatic neutral

To discover that someone has done something wrong or has been lying; to expose someone.

"The manager found out that he had been forging the accounts."

separable
Usage tip

One of the most common phrasal verbs in English. Can be followed by a clause ('find out that/what/where/why') or a noun object ('find out the answer'). When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle ('find it out'). Also used intransitively: 'I'll find out'.

Words that pair with "find out"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

truth answer reason information details news

How to conjugate "find out"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base
find out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
finds out
he/she/it
Past simple
found out
yesterday
Past participle
found out
have + pp
-ing form
finding out
continuous

Hear "find out" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "find out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Keep exploring

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