It's a word I'd like to find a substitute for.
Source: tatoeba (1350)
Find
/faɪnd/
Synonyms for "find" (335 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Strong matches (15)
Related words (25)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: detect, determine, discover, accommodate, accomplish.
- detect: 'Detect' implies identifying something subtle or hidden through careful observation or instruments, detecting a flaw, a signal, a lie.
- Sentence evidence is available for find, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "find".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "find"
Keep "find" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "find" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "find", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "find" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
How these synonyms differ
- detect - 'Detect' implies identifying something subtle or hidden through careful observation or instruments, detecting a flaw, a signal, a lie.
- discover - 'Discover' implies encountering something unknown or hidden, a discovery changes your understanding, while finding confirms a search.
- locate - 'Locate' is practical and specific, it emphasizes pinpointing a position. You locate a file, a restaurant, a leak.
- uncover - 'Uncover' suggests removing what was concealing something, uncovering evidence, uncovering truth. There's a sense of revelation.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
53 entriesShowing 16 of 53 words.
More specific
14 entriesartifactcoinconclude claimconclusiondata pointdecide outcomeevidencefossilgemlocate itemobservationrelicspot clueuncover evidence
Collocations
11 entriesarchaeological findfind cluesfind datafind evidencefind informationfind solutionfind timegood findhistoric findrare findvaluable find
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
24 entriesShowing 16 of 24 words.
Translations
29 translations across 23 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- وَجَدَ verb (decide that)
Armenian
1 entries- գտնել verb (decide that)
Bulgarian
1 entries- убежда́вам се verb (decide that)
Czech
1 entries- pokládat za verb (decide that)
Danish
1 entries- finde verb (decide that)
Dutch
2 entries- van mening zijn dat verb (decide that)
- vinden verb (decide that)
Egyptian
1 entries- gm-m verb (decide that)
Finnish
1 entries- pitää verb (decide that)
French
1 entries- trouver verb (decide that)
Galician
1 entries- coidar verb (decide that)
Hebrew
1 entries- מצא verb (decide that)
Italian
1 entries- trovare verb (decide that)
Latin
1 entries- decernere verb (decide that)
Macedonian
1 entries- наоѓа verb (decide that)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- finne verb (decide that)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- finna verb (decide that)
- finne verb (decide that)
Portuguese
1 entries- achar verb (decide that)
Russian
2 entries- найти́ verb (decide that)
- находи́ть verb (decide that)
Slovak
1 entries- považovať verb (decide that)
Spanish
3 entries- creer verb (decide that)
- encontrar verb (decide that)
- hallar verb (decide that)
Swedish
2 entries- finna verb (decide that)
- konstatera verb (decide that)
Tagalog
1 entries- nahanap verb (decide that)
Turkish
1 entries- bulmak verb (decide that)
Sample sentences
45 total sentences available.
One can always find time.
Source: tatoeba (1358)
Whenever I find something I like, it's too expensive.
Source: tatoeba (1372)
The police will get you to find the bullets.
Source: tatoeba (1400)
Showing 4 of 45 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "find"?
Closest matches include detect, determine, discover, accommodate, accomplish.
How is "detect" different from "find"?
'Detect' implies identifying something subtle or hidden through careful observation or instruments, detecting a flaw, a signal, a lie.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "find"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.