What does "figure out" mean?
What it means: To understand, solve, or work out something - especially something that wasn't immediately clear."I can't figure out why it's not working.""She finally figured out how to use the software.""We need to figure out a way to fix this.""Figure it out yourself." (blunt, but common)What i...
What it means
To understand, solve, or work out something - especially something that wasn't immediately clear.
"I can't figure out why it's not working."
"She finally figured out how to use the software."
"We need to figure out a way to fix this."
"Figure it out yourself." (blunt, but common)
What it implies
The answer wasn't obvious - it required some thinking, analysis, or effort.
Separable
"Figure out the problem." β
"Figure the problem out." β
"Figure it out." β (pronoun must go in the middle)
Can also mean to understand a person
"I can't figure him out." - I don't understand him, his motives, or behaviour
A native would say
- "Work out" - British equivalent: "I can't work out why it's broken."
- "Understand" - more formal
- "Solve" - for problems specifically
Register
Casual to professional. Very common in American English; work out is the British preference.
What does "figure out" mean?
To understand, solve, or work out something - especially something that wasn't immediately clear.
"I can't figure out why it's not working."
"She finally figured out how to use the software."
"We need to figure out a way to fix this."
"Figure it out yourself." (blunt, but common)
Is "figure out" formal or informal?
Casual to professional. Very common in American English; work out is the British preference.
What's another way to say "figure out"?
- "Work out" - British equivalent: "I can't work out why it's broken."
- "Understand" - more formal
- "Solve" - for problems specifically
Phrasal verbs are one of the hardest parts of English to master.
LLH Tutor explains them in plain language, so you know exactly when and how to use each one.
Save to your vocabulary