adj
Common
identifying
Identifying (adj) means serving to show clearly who or what something is. Example: “The police asked for any identifying marks, such as scars or tattoos.”
adj
1
Serving to show clearly who or what something is.
"The police asked for any identifying marks, such as scars or tattoos."
"Please show an identifying document, like a passport, at the desk."
"The dog had no identifying tags or microchip."
noun
1
The act of working out or naming who or what something is.
"Identifying birds by their songs takes years of patient practice."
"Teachers helped with the identifying of the lost child's school bag."
"Identifying the leak took the plumber almost an hour."
How to use identifying
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething that helps single out or recognize a person or thing.
Common pairings
identifying feature
identifying mark
identifying information
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Word forms
- Plural
- identifyings
- Comparative
- more identifying
- Superlative
- most identifying
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The police asked for any _____ marks, such as scars or tattoos.
Related words
Rhymes for identifying
See all rhymes for identifying →Frequently asked questions
What does “identifying” mean?
The word “identifying” means serving to show clearly who or what something is. In plain terms, something that helps single out or recognize a person or thing.
How do you use “identifying” in a sentence?
Here is “identifying” used in a sentence: “The dog had no identifying tags or microchip.”
What part of speech is “identifying”?
Depending on how it is used, “identifying” can be an adjective and a noun.
Is “identifying” a common word?
“Identifying” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “identifying” have?
“Identifying” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: serving to show clearly who or what something is.
What counts as identifying information?
Identifying information is any detail that serves to show clearly who a particular person is, such as a full name, home address, date of birth, or ID number. The phrase appears widely in privacy policies and news reporting, where such details are often removed to protect people.
What is the difference between identifying and identification?
Identifying is the act of working out or naming who or what something is, and as an adjective it describes things that reveal identity, as in "identifying marks." Identification is the related noun for the process or its result — and, in everyday use, for a document that proves who you are.
What is an identifying mark or feature?
An identifying mark or feature is a characteristic that serves to show clearly who or what something is — a scar, a serial number, or a distinctive pattern. The phrase is common in police descriptions and in guides for recognizing animals or objects.
What is the difference between identifying and identifiable?
Identifying describes something that actively reveals identity, as in "an identifying badge," while identifiable means capable of being recognized or identified, as in "the suspect was identifiable from the footage." In privacy contexts, "personally identifiable information" means data from which a person can be identified.
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