identify

[ahy-den-tuh-fahy, ih-den-] /aɪˈdɛn təˌfaɪ, ɪˈdɛn-/

verb (used with object), identified, identifying.

to recognize or establish as being a particular person or thing; verify the identity of:

to identify handwriting; to identify the bearer of a check.

to serve as a means of identification for:

His gruff voice quickly identified him.

to make, represent to be, or regard or treat as the same or identical:

They identified Jones with the progress of the company.

to associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc. (usually followed by with):

He preferred not to identify himself with that group.

Biology. to determine to what group (a given specimen) belongs.

Psychology. to associate (one or oneself) with another person or a group of persons by identification.

verb (used without object), identified, identifying.

to experience psychological identification:

The audience identified with the play's characters.

Origin

1635-45; < Medieval Latin identificāre, equivalent to identi(tās) identity + -ficāre -fy

Related forms

identifiable, adjective

identifiability, identifiableness, noun

identifier, noun

overidentify, verb, overidentified, overidentifying.

preidentify, verb (used with object), preidentified, preidentifying.

reidentify, verb (used with object), reidentified, reidentifying.

unidentifiable, adjective

unidentifiably, adverb

unidentified, adjective

unidentifying, adjective

well-identified, adjective

Synonyms

1. distinguish, place, know, determine.

British Dictionary definitions for identifiers

identify

/aɪˈdɛntɪˌfaɪ/

verb (mainly transitive) -fies, -fying, -fied

to prove or recognize as being a certain person or thing; determine the identity of

to consider as the same or equivalent

(also intransitive) often foll by with. to consider (oneself) as similar to another

to determine the taxonomic classification of (a plant or animal)

(psychol) (intransitive) usually foll by with. to engage in identification

Derived Forms

identifiable, adjective
identifiably, adverb

Word Origin and History for identifiers

identify

1640s, "regard as the same," from French identifier, from identité (see identity). Sense of "recognize" first recorded 1769. Meaning "make one (with), associate (oneself)" is from 1780. Sense of "serve as means of identification" is attested by 1886. Related: Identified; identifying.