finder
A1Pronunciation
UK
- /fˈaɪndə/
US
- /ˈfaɪndər/
Description
- searcher
- locator
- one who discovers
A "finder" is usually a person, tool, or service that helps locate something. Sometimes it means a person who discovers or recovers something, like the person who found a lost dog. Just as often, it appears in compound nouns such as "job finder," "key finder," or "stud finder," where it names something made to help with searching or locating.
The word often suggests active searching and successful discovery. In some contexts, it can also imply skill, especially when someone is good at finding useful things, answers, or opportunities.
The word "finder" usually refers to someone or something that finds, locates, or discovers something. In its simplest sense, it can mean a person who has found something, especially a lost item or animal. For example, the finder of a wallet or the finder of a missing dog is the person who discovered it.
But the word is also widely used in compound nouns. In these cases, it often names a tool, service, or type of person whose purpose is to help locate something. A "key finder" can be a small device that helps you track your keys. A "stud finder" is a tool used to locate wall studs. A "job finder" may be a website, app, or service that helps people look for work.
In a broader sense, "finder" can describe someone who is good at discovering things, opportunities, or answers. You might hear it in phrases like "solution finder" or "talent finder," where the idea is not just random discovery but active, useful searching.
The word is flexible, but the central idea stays the same: a finder is the person, thing, or service that helps bring something hidden, lost, needed, or wanted into view.
Examples
- 1
Lost property
There's a reward for the finder of the lost wallet.
- 2
Honest return
The finder left the keys at the front desk and walked away.
- 3
Website tool
Use the store finder on the website to see which branch is closest to you.
- 4
Business deal
He received a finder's fee for bringing the investor and the company together.
Phrase
finder's fee
money someone gets for helping to arrange a deal
- 5
Childish saying
"Finders keepers" doesn't apply when the phone clearly belongs to someone else.
Phrase
finders keepers
a childish saying meaning "I found it, so it's mine"
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- findernoun
Forms
- finderspluralnoun