ichidan verb, transitive verb
find; discover; spot; come across
The basic transitive sense: to find or notice something, often after looking for it or unexpectedly coming across it.
なくした鍵を机の下で見つけた。
I found the key I had lost under the desk.
I found a nice cafe in front of the station.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
catch someone doing; discover someone in the act
A constructional extension of the finding sense, often used as 〜しているところを見つける or in the passive 見つけられる.
母は弟がケーキをつまみ食いしているところを見つけた。
My mother caught my younger brother sneaking bites of the cake.
カンニングしているところを先生に見つけられた。
I was caught cheating by the teacher.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
be used to seeing; be familiar with
Rare and old-fashioned compared with 見慣れる; most likely to be encountered in negative expressions such as 見つけない顔, meaning an unfamiliar face.
古い小説で「見つけない顔だ」とあれば、「見慣れない顔だ」という意味に近い。
If an old novel says “見つけない顔だ,” it is close in meaning to “an unfamiliar face.”