identify

Compared meaning: to recognize who someone is (verb).

比较义项：认出、辨认出某人是谁（动词）。

• place

  Place means recognizing someone or something you already vaguely know, by connecting them to the right context, name, or memory; often informal, frequently used with can't.

  place 指认出一个你本来就有些印象的人或事物，把它和正确的背景、名字或记忆对应起来；比较口语化，常与can't连用。

  He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him until he said his name.

  他看着眼熟，可我一直认不出他是谁，直到他说出自己的名字我才想起来。

• identify 本词

  Identify is the general, more formal word for determining exactly who or what someone or something is, used in official, medical, scientific, or unfamiliar contexts.

  identify 是更正式、更通用的词，指准确判断某人或某物到底是谁或是什么，常用于官方、医学、科学或面对陌生对象的场合。

  Police released photos, hoping someone could identify the missing man.

  警方公布了照片，希望有人能辨认出这名失踪男子的身份。

Place and identify both mean to recognize who someone is. Place means recognizing someone you already vaguely know, by connecting them to the right name or memory; it is informal, often used with 'can't'. Identify is more formal, for determining exactly who someone is.

place 和 identify 在“认出、确定身份”这个意思上比较接近，但 place 通常指凭已有的印象把人和背景对上号，语气更口语化；identify 更正式、适用范围更广。这里不比较 place 表示“（比赛）排名”的用法，例如“She placed third in the race.”（她在比赛中获得第三名）。