Figure sb out Meaning, Examples & How to Use in English

What Does “Figure sb out” Mean?

“Figure sb out” means to understand someone’s character, feelings, or behavior after thinking about them carefully.

Introduction

The phrase “figure sb out” is a common English phrasal verb used when you try to understand a person’s thoughts or feelings. The “sb” stands for “somebody,” meaning it refers to a person. When you “figure someone out,” you make sense of their actions or personality, often after observing or thinking about them. The figure sb out meaning is about solving the mystery of a person’s behavior or emotions. It is useful in daily conversations when you want to express that you finally understand someone who seemed confusing before.

Quick Info Box

• Phrasal verb: figure somebody out
• Type: transitive
• Level: B1 (Intermediate)
• Short meaning: to understand someone’s personality or behavior

Structure (Grammar Rules)

“Figure sb out” is a separable phrasal verb. This means the object (somebody) can come between “figure” and “out” or after “out.”

• Correct: I can’t figure her out.
• Also correct: I can’t figure out her behavior.

Note: When the object is a pronoun (e.g., him, her), it must come between the verb and the particle:

• Correct: I can’t figure him out.
• Incorrect: I can’t figure out him.

How to Use “Figure sb out”?

Use “figure sb out” when you want to say you understand someone better after some thought. It often suggests that the person was difficult to understand at first. You can use it in casual conversations, stories, or when describing relationships.

Examples

Here are some examples to help you see how “figure sb out” is used in real life:

• At first, I couldn’t figure him out, but now I know why he acts that way.
• She’s hard to figure out because she doesn’t show her feelings easily.
• We finally figured out what made our teacher upset.
• It took me a while to figure her out, but now we get along well.
• Can you figure out why he left the party early?

Common Mistakes

Sometimes learners make mistakes with the placement of the object or confuse this phrase with similar expressions. Here are some wrong and right examples:

• Incorrect: I can’t figure out him.
• Correct: I can’t figure him out.
• Incorrect: She figured out about his feelings.
• Correct: She figured out his feelings.

Remember, when the object is a pronoun, it must come between “figure” and “out.”

Differences / Synonyms

Other phrases like “understand,” “work out,” and “make sense of” are similar to “figure sb out.” However, “figure sb out” often implies a deeper, sometimes difficult understanding of a person’s character or behavior.

• “Understand” is more general: I understand him.
• “Work out” is often used for problems: I worked out the solution.
• “Make sense of” focuses on clarity: I can’t make sense of his words.

So, “figure sb out” is best when talking about understanding people, not just facts or problems.

Common Collocations

When using “figure sb out,” certain objects are more common. These collocations help make your speech natural:

• figure somebody out – understand a person
• figure somebody’s behavior out – understand how someone acts
• figure somebody’s feelings out – understand emotions
• figure somebody’s intentions out – understand what someone plans

Related Phrasal Verbs

Here are related phrasal verbs of figure sb out:

• Figure On Sth
• Figure On Sb Doing Sth
• Figure Sth Out

Real-life Dialogue

Here’s a short conversation using “figure sb out”:

Anna: I don’t get Tom. He’s so quiet lately.

Ben: Yeah, he’s hard to figure out sometimes.

Anna: Maybe he’s stressed about work.

Ben: Could be. I’ll try to figure him out this weekend.

Practice

Try to complete the sentences with the correct form of “figure sb out”:

• I finally ________ my new coworker ________. (figure / out)
• It’s difficult to ________ what she really wants.
• Can you ________ him ________? He’s acting strange.

FAQs

• What does “figure sb out” mean? It means to understand someone’s character or behavior.
• Is “figure sb out” formal or informal? It is mostly informal and used in everyday conversations.
• Can I say “figure out him”? No, when using a pronoun, say “figure him out.”
• What is the difference between “figure sb out” and “understand sb”? “Figure sb out” often means understanding someone after trying hard, while “understand” is more general.
• Can I use “figure sb out” for things other than people? It is mainly used for people, not objects or situations.