find

find find [faɪnd] verb found _PTandPP [faʊnd] [transitive]

1. if you find work or employment, you get a job or some work. If you find someone to do a job, you employ them to do that job:

• Karen found a job with a major travel company after she completed her course.

• an assignment to find a chief executive for the American Council of Life Insurance

2. to discover or learn something by study or research:

• We found 36% of customers interviewed said they had to wait between five and 10 minutes to be served.

• The survey found that these drivers were more likely to drive badly and break the law.

— findings noun [plural] :

• The findings show that 16 percent of students went on to take vocational or business courses.

• Following the on-site inspection, the findings are analysed and the surveyor prepares a written report.

3. LAW if someone accused of a crime is found guilty or innocent, a court of law decides that they are guilty or innocent of that crime:

find be found guilty/​innocent of something

• All the senior executives were found guilty of conspiring to mislead the markets during the £837 million Blue Arrow rights issue.

4. find for/​against somebody LAW to decide in a court of law whether someone is innocent or guilty of a crime:

• The Board of Review allowed the taxpayer's appeal, but the High Court found for the Commissioner.

• If the court finds against the bank, its bosses might be replaced with central-bank appointees.

— finding noun [countable usually plural] :

• Accountants inevitably greeted the court's finding with some concern.

• If the appellant is dissatisfied with the findings of the Appeal Committee, he may seek judicial review of the decision in the courts.

5. COMPUTING if you find a computer file, you bring it up on your screen so that you can read it or write in it:

• Windows lets you find a file without having to remember which program you were using when you created it.

6. informal if you find an amount of money, you have enough money to allow you to do something:

• The first-time buyer has to find a deposit of 5% or more of the property price.

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find UK US /faɪnd/ verb [T] (found, found)

► to be successful in getting something: find work/employment/a job, etc. »

I have only managed to find part-time work which doesn't pay anything like what I was earning before.

»

It's very difficult to find good sales people.

find an answer »

As yet we haven't found an answer to the question of what to do when he retires.

»

The company needs to find £5 million by the end of the month to avoid going into administration.

»

Somehow they managed to find £10,000 for a deposit on the apartment.

► to discover where something is: »

It isn't easy to find their contact details on their website.

»

I can't find the file I created yesterday.

► (also find (sth) out) to discover information or a fact: find that »

The study found that 60% of small and mid-sized firms in and around Paris reported a drop in sales since the strikes began.

»

We found out that our competitors were selling a similar product at a much higher price.

→ See also FINDING(Cf. ↑finding)

► LAW to decide on a particular judgment in a court of law: find sb guilty/innocent »

All three men were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

● find (the) time (for sth/to do sth) — Cf. find time to do sth

● find against sb — Cf. find against sb

● find for sb — Cf. find for sb