Phrasal verb
figure sb/sth out
Definition
phrasal verb. to understand someone or something after thinking about them for a while.
phrasal verb. to reach an understanding of a person's character or a complex situation through mental effort or analysis.
Examples
“I finally figured out how to use the new coffee machine.”
“It took me a long time to figure him out, but I eventually realized he was just shy.”
“Scientists are still trying to figure out the exact mechanisms that trigger this specific genetic mutation.”
Examples
simple
“I finally figured out how to use the new coffee machine.”
contextual
“It took me a long time to figure him out, but I eventually realized he was just shy.”
complex
“Scientists are still trying to figure out the exact mechanisms that trigger this specific genetic mutation.”
Usage
the object can be a noun, a pronoun, or a 'wh-' clause like 'how' or 'why'.
Teaching tip
highlight that when the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'him', it must go between 'figure' and 'out'.
Pitfall
I figured out it.
I figured it out.
if the object is a pronoun, it must be placed between the verb and the particle.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
figure + (object) + out
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/figure-sb-sth-out