finding

finding — noun

1. something new that you learn by carefully studying a subject or problem — for in

1.nounB1
Definition

something new that you learn by carefully studying a subject or problem — for instance, a medical team concluding that a drug reduces pain, or a scientist figuring out what starts a chemical reaction

Example

The study's main finding showed a strong link between exercise and better sleep.

finding + that-clause for reporting research result

Dr. Soraya Chen presented her findings on childhood nutrition at the conference.

present findings + preposition 'on'

Common collocations
  • research findings
  • study findings
  • key findings
  • preliminary findings
  • main finding
  • report findings
  • present findings
  • publish findings
  • findings show
  • findings suggest
  • findings indicate
  • findings reveal
Synonyms
  • discovery

    emphasises something new or previously unknown; suggests a stronger element of surprise or revelation than 'finding'

  • result

    broader term that can come from any process (a test, a game, a calculation); 'finding' implies deliberate investigation

  • observation

    a single recorded fact or measurement; 'findings' are the set of insights drawn from analysing multiple observations

  • conclusion

    a conclusion is an interpretation drawn from findings; 'finding' is closer to the raw discovered information

Grammar Patterns

findings + show/suggest/indicate/reveal + that-clause

present/report/publish + findings

the + study's/team's/research + finding(s)

Usage Note

Often used in the plural form 'findings' to refer to the whole set of results from a study or investigation. The singular 'finding' is used when pointing to one specific discovery.

Common Mistakes

We found three findings in the data.
The data contained three key findings.
'findings' should not be the object of 'find'; the findings ARE what you discover, not something you search for.
The experiment gave a positive finding.
The experiment produced encouraging findings.
avoid using 'finding' with vague value judgements like 'positive' or 'good'; use specific descriptors.
His finding was very interesting.
His findings were very interesting.
in the research sense, the plural is much more common and natural unless referring to a single specific discovery.

2. an official decision reached by a judge, a jury, or another authorised body afte

2.nounB2
Definition

an official decision reached by a judge, a jury, or another authorised body after examining the facts in a legal case or formal inquiry — for example, a court's determination that a company acted illegally, or a commission's ruling that safety rules were broken

Example

The court's finding cleared the company of any wrongdoing.

court's finding + clears [person/company] of wrongdoing

Judge Anya Rodriguez issued a finding that the contract had been broken.

judge issues a finding + that-clause

Common collocations
  • court finding
  • judicial finding
  • jury finding
  • commission findings
  • issue a finding
  • make a finding
  • announce a finding
  • finding of fact
  • finding of law
  • findings of the inquiry
Synonyms
  • ruling

    similar to 'finding' but often refers to a decision on a specific point of law rather than a determination of facts

  • verdict

    the final judgment of guilt or innocence reached by a jury; 'finding' is broader and can apply to any factual determination by a court or commission

  • judgment

    the final decision of a court after considering all findings; a 'finding' is one step that leads to a 'judgment'

  • determination

    more formal and technical; 'finding' is the more common word for everyday and learner contexts

Grammar Patterns

issue/make/announce + a finding + that-clause

the + court's/judge's/jury's/commission's + finding(s)

finding of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (RESEARCH RESULT): sense 2 always involves an authority figure (judge, jury, commission) making a formal decision. If the subject is a researcher or scientist rather than a legal authority, sense 1 applies.

Common Mistakes

The judge's find was that the man was not guilty.
The judge's finding was that the man was not guilty.
'find' is a verb; the noun form in legal contexts is 'finding', not 'find'.
The lawyer won a finding for her client.
The judge made a finding in favour of the lawyer's client.
lawyers do not 'win' findings; findings are 'made', 'issued', or 'announced' by courts.
The court's finding put him in prison for five years.
The court's finding of guilt led to a prison sentence of five years.
the finding determines the facts; a separate sentence follows from it.

Word family

  • find
    verbA1
  • find
    nounB1
  • finder
    nounB2
  • unfound
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe information that comes from studying something, but they differ in scope and process. A 'discovery' reveals something previously unknown, often through chance or sudden insight (e.g., 'Penicillin was a famous discovery'). A 'result' is the broadest term — it can come from a test, a calculation, or even a sports match — and does not imply systematic investigation. An 'observation' is a single recorded fact ('The thermometer read 37°C'), while 'findings' are what you get after analysing a set of observations. A 'conclusion' is the interpretation you draw from your findings ('The data led us to the conclusion that the drug works'). In short: observations → findings → conclusions, while a discovery can happen at any stage but usually carries a sense of novelty.

discovery ↗result ↗conclusion ↗observation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • based on the findings
  • according to the findings
  • in light of the findings
  • the key finding

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'finding' developed from the Old English verb 'findan' (to come upon, to discover) combined with the noun-forming suffix '-ing'. It first appeared in the 14th century with the general meaning of 'something that has been discovered'. By the early 1600s, it had acquired a specific legal sense: a court's official determination of facts after examining evidence. The modern scientific and academic use of 'findings' to mean the results of research grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries alongside the rise of empirical science and formal research methods.