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Find out meaning

Find out means to get information or learn a fact, for example by asking or reading. It can also mean to discover that someone has done something wrong.

Check yourself: 3 questions

find out something

find out · found · finding

A1Not separable+1 more meaning

I’ll find out what time the shop opens.

Find out meanings and examples

2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1get information or learn a fact, for example by asking or reading
  2. 2discover that someone has done something wrong
  1. 1

    Get information or learn a fact, for example by asking or reading

    find out something

    A1Not separable

    • I’ll find out what time the shop opens.
    • How did you find out about the party?
    • We never found out who sent the flowers.
  2. 2

    Discover that someone has done something wrong

    find somebody out

    B2Separable

    • He lied for months before his boss found him out.
    • If Mum finds out, we’re in big trouble.
    • She was afraid of being found out.
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Is find out separable?

In its main meaning, find out is not split: find out the truth, find out where she lives. With a pronoun, people usually drop it: How did you find out?

Find someone out means discover they did something wrong, and the person goes in the middle: They found him out. Find out about adds a topic: find out about jobs.

Verb tenses for find out

PresentI find out · she finds out
Pastfound out
Present perfecthave found out
-ing formfinding out

Common mistakes with find out

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: I found out where does she work.

    Right: I found out where she works.

    After find out + question word, use normal word order.

  • Wrong: I found out the answer in my book. It was on page 10.

    Right: I found the answer in my book. It was on page 10.

    For a thing you see, use find; find out is for information you learn.

  • Wrong: It’s a secret. How did you find out it?

    Right: It’s a secret. How did you find out?

    Find out needs no it when we know what the fact is.

Synonyms and opposites of find out

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

  • keep secretnot let anyone learn something
  • hidekeep the truth away from people

Find out quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1Can you ___ if the museum is open on Monday?

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“He cheated in the test, but the teacher found him out.” What happened?

Find your level

The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.

Test yourself on find outTake the full test

Find out FAQ

Questions people ask about find out.

What is the difference between find and find out?

You find a thing you were looking for: I found my phone. You find out information: I found out the price.

Find out about or find out?

Find out + the fact: find out the date. Find out about + a topic: find out about courses in Spain.

What is the past tense of find out?

Found out: I found out yesterday.

Use find out in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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