To identify means to recognise and be able to name someone or something; to find out or establish the identity of a person, thing, or problem.
What Does Identify Mean?
Identify comes from Medieval Latin identificare, combining idem (same) and facere (to make). At its core, it means to establish what something is — to match an unknown thing to a known category or name. It is used across a wide range of contexts, from police investigations ("identify a suspect") to scientific research ("identify a gene") to academic essays ("identify the main themes").
The word is extremely common in formal and written English. It often appears in instructions and exam questions: "Identify the causes of the problem." In everyday speech, it can be replaced by spot, pick out, or recognise, but identify is the standard choice in professional, academic, and official contexts.
A key ESL point: identify is a transitive verb — it almost always takes an object. You do not "identify" alone; you identify something or someone. The reflexive form "identify as" (e.g. "She identifies as bilingual") is also widely used in social and cultural discussions. See Cambridge Dictionary's full entry on “identify” for more examples.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Usage note |
|---|---|
| The witness was able to identify the attacker in the police line-up. | identify a person (legal/formal) |
| Scientists have identified a new strain of the virus. | identify a thing (academic/scientific) |
| Can you identify the main argument in this paragraph? | exam / instruction language |
| We need to identify the source of the problem before we can fix it. | identify the source (problem-solving) |
| She identifies strongly with the characters in the novel. | identify with (emotional/social) |
| The app uses facial recognition to identify users automatically. | technology context |
| The report identified several risks that had been overlooked. | identify risks (business/formal) |
| He found it hard to identify exactly what was making him anxious. | informal/psychological use |
Word Forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Base verb | identify | Can you identify the bird? |
| Third person singular | identifies | She identifies the key issues quickly. |
| Past simple | identified | The police identified the suspect. |
| Past participle | identified | Three risks have been identified. |
| Present participle | identifying | Identifying the problem is the first step. |
| Noun | identification / identity | Please show your identification. / She hid her identity. |
| Adjective | identifiable | The bird is easily identifiable by its markings. |
| Negative adjective | unidentifiable | The remains were unidentifiable. |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example phrase |
|---|---|
| identify a problem | The first step is to identify a problem clearly before proposing solutions. |
| identify a suspect | Officers asked the victim to identify a suspect from a series of photographs. |
| identify the cause | Doctors worked to identify the cause of the unusual symptoms. |
| identify key themes | Your essay should identify key themes and discuss them in depth. |
| identify a need | The survey helped the charity identify a need for more mental health support. |
| correctly identify | Students must correctly identify the tense used in each sentence. |
| identify with | Many teenagers identify with the struggles described in the book. |
| identify as | She identifies as a non-native speaker, though her English is excellent. |
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
We need to identify about the problem.
We need to identify the problem. (identify takes a direct object — no preposition between the verb and the object)
She identified him as the thief, but he couldn't be identify.
She identified him as the thief, but he couldn't be identified. (passive requires past participle: identified, not identify)
The report identificated three main risks.
The report identified three main risks. (the correct past tense is identified, not identificated)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Words
Practise This Word
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Frequently Asked Questions about “identify”
What does identify mean?
Identify means to recognise someone or something and be able to name them. It also means to find out or establish who or what something is. Example: 'The detective was able to identify the suspect from the CCTV footage.'
Is identify a verb?
Yes, identify is a verb. Its forms are: identify (base), identifies (third person singular), identified (past simple and past participle), identifying (present participle). The related noun is identification, and the adjective is identifiable.
What is the difference between identify and recognise?
Both words involve knowing what something is, but identify is slightly more formal and often implies an active process of finding or confirming an identity. Recognise suggests that you already know something and notice it again. Example: 'Scientists identified a new species' vs 'I recognised my teacher in the crowd.'
How do you use identify in a sentence?
Identify is typically followed by a noun object: 'identify the problem', 'identify a suspect', 'identify key themes'. It can also be used reflexively: 'She identifies as bilingual.' In academic writing it is very common: 'The study identified three main factors.'
What is the noun form of identify?
The main noun form is identification (often shortened to ID). 'Can I see some identification?' The related noun identity refers to who someone is: 'She hid her true identity.' The abstract noun is also identifiability in technical contexts.
What does 'identify with' mean?
'Identify with' means to feel that you share characteristics or experiences with someone or something. Example: 'Many readers identify with the main character's struggles.' This usage is common in psychology, literature, and everyday conversation.
What is the adjective form of identify?
The adjective form is identifiable, meaning possible to identify. Example: 'The bird is easily identifiable by its bright red beak.' The prefix un- forms unidentifiable, meaning impossible to identify.
What is the difference between identify and detect?
Detect means to discover that something exists or is present, often using instruments or careful observation: 'The sensor detected smoke.' Identify goes further — it names or classifies what has been found: 'The lab identified the substance as carbon monoxide.' Detection often comes before identification.
What is the origin of the word identify?
Identify comes from Medieval Latin 'identificare', from Latin 'idem' (same) and 'facere' (to make). The original sense was 'to make the same as' or 'to treat as identical'. The word entered English in the 17th century and gradually developed its modern sense of recognising or naming.
How can I practise using identify in English?
LexFizz's Flash Cards and Complete the Sentence exercises include academic and everyday vocabulary like identify. Try writing sentences about problems you notice around you: 'I identified three issues with my routine.' Reading science or news articles where identify frequently appears is also highly effective.