discover

[ dih-skuhv-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out; gain sight or knowledge of (something previously unseen or unknown):

   to discover America;

   to discover electricity.

   Synonyms: notice, ferret out, unearth, ascertain, discern, descry, detect

2. to notice or realize:

   I discovered I didn't have my credit card with me when I went to pay my bill.

3. Archaic. to make known; reveal; disclose.

discover

/ dɪˈskʌvə /

verb

1. to be the first to find or find out about

   Fleming discovered penicillin

2. to learn about or encounter for the first time; realize

   she discovered the pleasures of wine

3. to find after study or search

   I discovered a leak in the tank

4. to reveal or make known

Derived Forms

• disˈcoverer, noun
• disˈcoverable, adjective

Other Words From

• dis·cover·a·ble adjective
• dis·cover·a·bly adverb
• nondis·cover·a·ble adjective
• predis·cover verb (used with object)
• redis·cover verb (used with object)
• undis·cover·a·ble adjective
• undis·covered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of discover¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English discouere(n), descuvere(n), from Anglo-French discoverir, descovrir, from Old French descovrir, descuvrir, from Late Latin discooperīre “to disclose, expose”; dis- ¹, cover

Synonym Study

Discover, invent, originate suggest bringing to light something previously unknown. To discover may be to find something that had previously existed but had hitherto been unknown: to discover a new electricity; it may also refer to devising a new use for something already known: to discover how to make synthetic rubber. To invent is to make or create something new, especially something ingeniously devised to perform mechanical operations: to invent a device for detecting radioactivity. To originate is to begin something new, especially new ideas, methods, etc.: to originate a political movement, the use of assembly-line techniques.

Example Sentences

Anderson was working at the New York Botanical Garden in 1901 studying the water content of nuclei in starch crystals when, as the story goes, he “discovered” steam-puffed rice.

From Eater

Footprints discovered at what was once a rain-fed lake in Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert suggest that humans on the move made a pit stop there more than 100,000 years ago.

From Science News

Also useful would be some sort of way to discover popular routines directly within the Alexa app.

From TechCrunch

Researchers studying magnetization discovered that renormalization wasn’t about infinities at all.

From Quanta Magazine

Curiously, as I did my research for this article, I randomly discovered Google used to guarantee some sort of Impression-based reporting in an old version of the T&C housed here.

From Search Engine Land

Will we discover whether or not Krieger is a clone this season, and will that be an ongoing plotline?

From The Daily Beast

Capaldi said it was remarkable to discover the human frailties at the center of such a mind.

From The Daily Beast

Their night takes an unexpected twist when they break into a home and discover a young girl is being held captive inside.

From The Daily Beast

But when the ship arrives at the planet, they discover Dr. Mann—played by none other than Matt Damon.

From The Daily Beast

To work for Jarrett is to discover someone who listens and someone who expects nothing less than the very best.

From The Daily Beast

We can not measure it by the amount of its contribution to the product, for that is the very matter that we want to discover.

From Project Gutenberg

But her parents, did you never discover any thing about them—who or what they were—the motive of so strange an abandonment?

From Project Gutenberg

That she was unwise in assuming her own will so promptly, with little regard to consulting his, she might yet discover.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet in many cases their good sense fails to discover the right way.

From Project Gutenberg

In this way he was often able to discover opportunities for doing much good to his subjects.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• catch
• come upon
• design
• detect
• determine
• devise
• disclose
• explore
• hear
• identify
• invent
• learn
• locate
• notice
• observe
• realize
• recognize
• reveal
• see
• spot

When To Use

What are other ways to say discover?

To discover something is to see, get knowledge of, or find it. How does discover differ from learn, ascertain, and detect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

More About Discover

What does discover mean?

To discover is to find or find out about something for the first time.

Discovering involves locating or gaining knowledge about something that was previously unknown or unseen. The word is especially associated with finding new places (as in discovering new lands) and scientific breakthroughs (as in discovering a cure).

Something that’s discovered in this way is called a discovery. The adjective undiscovered is used to describe something that has never been found, as in Even in the modern age, there are still probably a few undiscovered places. 

The word discover also has few a more basic senses: to notice or realize (as in When I went to open the door, I discovered that I had lost my key); to encounter for the first time (as in I remember when I discovered my love of coffee); and to find after research or inspection (as in I discovered the bug in the code).

Example: Ancient Oceanic peoples discovered new methods of seafaring that allowed them to discover and settle faraway islands.

Where does discover come from?

The first records of the word discover come from the 1300s. It comes from the Late Latin discooperīre, meaning “to disclose” or “to expose.” The prefix dis- indicates a reversal. The prefix un- in uncover means just about the same thing, but discover and uncover are typically used in different ways.

When something is discovered, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it had been covered or hidden. Though its use can sometimes overlap with discover, the word uncover typically means something different—“to expose” or “to reveal.” To discover a conspiracy is to find out that it exists, but to uncover it is to reveal it.

Discovering something involves seeing it, learning of it, or encountering it for the first time. History books are filled with examples of people credited with having discovered a new place even though it was already inhabited, or of people credited with having made some kind of scientific or technological breakthrough when in fact it was known about for a long time by someone else or by people in another part of the world. In cases like this, the so-called discoverer didn’t really discover the thing so much as found it again.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to discover? 

• discovery (noun)
• discoverable (adjective)
• rediscover (verb)
• undiscovered (adjective)
• discoverer (noun)

What are some synonyms for discover?

• find

What are some words that share a root or word element with discover? 

• cover
• uncover
• recover

What are some words that often get used in discussing discover?

• explore
• new
• place
• land
• country
• hidden
• knowledge
• secret
• unknown

How is discover used in real life?

The word discover is especially used in the context of exploration and scientific breakthroughs.

BREAKING: Scientists discover new hidden chamber in Egypt's Great Pyramid, say its purpose is unknown.

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 2, 2017

Researchers have discovered a new species of deep-sea giant isopod, Bathynomus raksasa: https://t.co/ojMUvLcLFv

— MBARI (@MBARI_News) August 14, 2020

Looking to the sky, retired Oklahoma teacher says he's discovered a new planethttps://t.co/lK96B2NpAX

— The National Desk (@TND) August 17, 2020

 

 

Try using discover!

Which of the following things could be discovered?

A. a newly found species
B. a newly observed planet
C. a newly developed cure
D. all of the above