figure sth/sb out
informal— phrasal verb with figure uk/ˈfɪɡ.ər/us/ˈfɪɡ.jɚ/verb
B2 to finally understand something or someone, or find the solution to a problem after a lot of thought:
[ + question word ] I can't figure out why he did it.
I find him really odd - I can't figure him out at all.
Can you figure out the answer to question 5?
More examples
- We need to figure out what went wrong.
- It took them ages to figure out how to assemble the chest of drawers.
- As soon as she figures out what happened, you're in trouble.
- When you've figured the answer out, put your hand up.
- They spent 20 minutes figuring out how to open the box.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Understanding and comprehending
- apprehend
- apprehension
- at your fingertips idiom
- attune
- bear in on/upon
- common
- fathom
- feel
- fingertip
- hit
- make sth/sb out
- mind
- picture
- plumb
- read between the lines idiom
- reading
- realization
- realize
- take sth in
- twig
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Solving and solutions