merely to find

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "merely to find" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when indicating that the action of finding is the only purpose or intention behind something. Example: "She was searching the archives, merely to find the missing documents."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Books

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

For Hadfield, it was miraculous enough merely to find himself in training.

The Guardian

We judges had merely to find the best book; excellence would be our only standard.

The Guardian - Books

It seems his main purpose in doing so is merely to find partners to play with.

The New York Times - Sports

It polls consumers and buys third-party research reports, but it also embeds employees in countries to study trends or merely to find inspiration for ideas.

The New York Times - Tech

For a satisficer, Dr. Schwartz said, a wealth of choices is not a problem, since the task is merely to find one that works.

The New York Times - Health

The comparative study of behaviour needs to be expanded and supported, but not merely to find more data enshrining humans as "special".

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

The consciousness debates have provoked more mudslinging and fury than most in modern philosophy, perhaps because of how baffling the problem is: opposing combatants tend not merely to disagree, but to find each other's positions manifestly preposterous.

The Guardian

Then Schumer plays his second: the fact that New York did not merely happen to find itself in the path of destruction but was put there because of what the city means to America.

The New York Times - Magazine

Mr. Zingraff has said he was merely trying to find new data to quantify racial profiling.

The New York Times

He'll merely want to find out how Dennis is going to extricate himself from this mess.

The New York Times - Books

We were merely trying to find a short cut to this moment of inspired creation, a way to get there, and it worked.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "merely to find" when you want to clearly and directly state that the sole purpose of an action is discovery or identification.

Common error

Avoid constructing sentences where the actor performing the finding is unclear or absent; ensure active voice to maintain clarity and impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "merely to find" functions as an infinitive of purpose, modifying a verb or clause to specify the reason or intention behind an action. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Science

30%

Books

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "merely to find" is a grammatically sound and relatively common construction used to indicate that the sole purpose of an action is discovery or location. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness, and a variety of authoritative sources, including The New York Times and The Guardian, demonstrate its usage. While versatile, it's important to use it deliberately to emphasize the limited scope of the action. Alternatives such as "simply to discover" and "only to locate" offer similar meanings with subtle differences in emphasis. Common errors involve unclear sentence construction and overuse of passive voice, so strive for active voice to ensure clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

simply to discover

Replaces "merely" with "simply", emphasizing the uncomplicated nature of the purpose.

only to locate

Substitutes "merely" with "only", highlighting the exclusivity of the intention.

just to uncover

Uses "just" instead of "merely" and "uncover" instead of "find", softening the tone slightly.

purely for discovering

Emphasizes the purity of the intention by using "purely" and rephrasing "to find" as "for discovering".

solely with the purpose of locating

Highlights the singular focus of the action, expanding the original phrase for emphasis.

exclusively to detect

Replaces "merely" with "exclusively" and "find" with "detect", suggesting a more specific or technical search.

uniquely for the intention of identifying

Stresses the uniqueness of the purpose, altering the structure for a more formal tone.

precisely to ascertain

Adds a sense of exactness and precision to the finding, using a more formal verb.

specifically in order to determine

Uses a more formal structure with "specifically in order to", indicating a conscious decision.

primarily as a means to reveal

Shifts the focus to the method of revealing, making the finding a tool rather than the sole aim.

FAQs

How can I use "merely to find" in a sentence?

Use "merely to find" to indicate that the sole purpose of an action is to discover or locate something. For example: "The team analyzed the data, "merely to find" a correlation between the variables".

What are some alternatives to "merely to find"?

You can use alternatives like "simply to discover", "only to locate", or "just to uncover" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it more appropriate to use "merely to find" or "only to find" in formal writing?

"Merely to find" and "only to find" are both suitable for formal writing. The choice depends on the specific emphasis you want to place on the exclusivity of the purpose.

What's the difference between "merely to find" and "trying to find"?

"Merely to find" emphasizes that finding is the only purpose, whereas "trying to find" suggests an attempt to discover something, without necessarily being the sole objective.