figures out

verb

present tense third-person singular of figure out
as in solves
to find an answer for through reasoning a book of brainteasers that even a really clever person won't have an easy time figuring out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of figures out For example, if a model figures out a way to cheat to win a game, but the human running the training doesn’t spot the cheating, then the model will learn to cheat. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 And Ghidorah’s heads — which look, up close, like costume figures out of a Golden Dragon Dance — emit orange lightning volts that extend for half a mile. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026 Those things matter, but great corporate videography starts earlier, in the pre-phase, the exploratory phase, when the production team figures out what the client is really trying to accomplish. — Tavares Beverly, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Deborah arrives for her freshman year at her parents' HBCU alma mater and figures out how to escape their shadow while also building her own legacy. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 Some 1,270 counties lost residents in the year to July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau figures out Thursday. — Augusta Saraiva, Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026 One of Wood’s favorite bits is his character’s reaction when Grace figures out a way to turn the game to her favor. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026 With this approach, rather than just having police respond to an issue, the department figures out a way to try and resolve it. — David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025 And there are equally dangerous, thuggish government figures out there up to no good as well. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figures out
  1. solves
  2. unravels
  3. answers
  4. works out
  5. resolves
Verb
  • But Rodrigues believes technology can augment traditional teaching methods by examining how a student solves an algebra problem or structures a piece of writing and identifying learning gaps.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Schrodinger’s manuscript also solves the problem that arises after the first measurement, where the distribution changes.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of solves
Verb
  • What unravels is a long overdue appraisal of one of this century’s greatest pop-rock bands.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The show stars Vikings actor Gustaf Skarsgård as Kurt Wallander, who begins the series aged 42 as his life unravels.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of unravels
Verb
  • Chigurh kills Wells in his hotel room and then answers a call from Moss intended for Wells.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There, the esteemed man himself answers the respectful but probing questions of journalists.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of answers
Verb
  • The Helena starts at €81,500 (for reference, this works out at around US$91,000), but it multiple options are available, including the choice of materials used, the furniture added, and even off-grid functionality, so the price can vary.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But your data shows that most of the time, rushing actually works out.
    — Julia Edelstein, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of works out
Verb
  • The approach resolves the challenge of uniformly printing transport layers and perovskite films onto flexible substrates.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Their goal was for the album to tell a story of radicalization, following a protagonist who shifts from complacency to an awareness of injustice and institutional oppression, and ultimately resolves to act against it.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of resolves

Browse Nearby Words

figures on
figures out
figurine
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Cite this Entry

“Figures out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figures%20out. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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