English▸ verb
( identifies, identifying, identified)
[with object] 1 establish or indicate who or what (someone or something) is:
the judge ordered that the girl should not be identified
the men identified themselves as federal police.
▪ recognize or distinguish (especially something considered worthy of attention):
a system that ensures that the pupil's real needs are identified.
▪ (identify as) [no object] assign (a particular characteristic or categorization) to oneself; describe oneself as belonging to (a particular category or group):
she identifies as a feminist
3.2% of the men identified as gay or bisexual.
2 (identify someone/something with) associate someone or something closely with; regard as having strong links with:
he was equivocal about being identified too closely with the peace movement.
▪ equate (someone or something) with:
because of my country accent, people identified me with a homely farmer's wife.
▪ (identify with) [no object] regard oneself as sharing the same characteristics or thinking as someone else:
I liked Fromm and identified with him.
– ORIGIN mid 17th century (in the sense ‘treat as being identical with’): from medieval Latin identificare, from late Latin identitas (see identity) + Latin -ficare (from facere ‘make’).