How to Use identify in a Sentence

identify

verb
  • She identified the dog as her lost pet.
  • The corpse was identified on the basis of dental records.
  • They could not identify the source of the quotation.
  • The witness positively identified the suspect in the crime.
  • We began by identifying what we needed for the job.
  • He was able to correctly identify the mushroom.
  • We need to identify the causes of unemployment.
  • They had no difficulty in identifying the problem.
  • Doing this in the large helps to identify what works and doesn’t work in the long run.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • No cause has been identified yet for the largest fires.
    — Manuel Valdes, Julie Watson, John Seewer and Heather Hollingsworth The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 11 Jan. 2025
  • It is said that the border on the plates helps identify the potter.
    — Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 6 Oct. 2022
  • So far, 55 of those who perished in the crash have been identified.
    — Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Hemmert wrote that her friend, who has not been identified, was shot in the back.
    — Olivia Alexander, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2023
  • Mesa police said the person who died in the fire still has not been identified.
    — Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024
  • The death has now been deemed a homicide and the victim identified as 31-year-old Yazmeen Williams.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 8 July 2024
  • In one of the first episodes, the blindfolded women have to identify their own sons by fondling the men’s abs.
    — Aj Willingham, CNN, 2 Feb. 2023
  • An agent fired at the suspect, later identified as Ryan Routh, who fled the scene.
    — Olivia Rinaldi, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2024
  • The police chief did not identify the victim or the suspect.
    — Sophie Reardon, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Authorities did not identify the age of the boy or the dog's breed.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Police are asking for the public's help to identify the car involved in the crash.
    — Brook Endale, The Enquirer, 19 July 2022
  • The storm was later identified as a Kona storm, which brings heavy rainfall and strong winds to Hawaii from the Southwest.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sgt.
    — Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Crews carried his body back to the trail where he was identified, the sheriff's office wrote in the release.
    — USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
  • But even the most diehard among Dodgers fans would struggle to identify the winning pitcher that night.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
  • The combined resources of the company and the cold case team were able to identify a suspect in the case in early 2025.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Officers went to the home and found a man, later identified as Mitchell, who was dead.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 31 May 2024
  • The breed of the snake responsible has not been identified.
    — Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Aug. 2024
  • Players must identify the correct car and location of the Route 66 sign amid dozens of street signs.
    — Betsy Morris, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2022
  • The man — identified by officials as 52-year-old Eric Slate — was a relative of the animal's owner.
    — Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 12 May 2025
  • Attorney Teny Geragos argued in court that the government is mischaracterizing the nature of these relationships, specifically pointing to one woman identified as Jane.
    — Amanda Castro joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'identify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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