discover
Americanverb (used with object)
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discovers,
present (3rd person singular)
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discovered,
past participle, past
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discovering
present participle
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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.
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to notice or realize.
I discovered I didn't have my credit card with me when I went to pay my bill.
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Archaic. to make known; reveal; disclose.
verb
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to be the first to find or find out about
Fleming discovered penicillin
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to learn about or encounter for the first time; realize
she discovered the pleasures of wine
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to find after study or search
I discovered a leak in the tank
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to reveal or make known
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discoverernoun
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prediscoververb (used with object)
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rediscoververb (used with object)
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discoverableadjective
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nondiscoverableadjective
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undiscoverableadjective
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undiscoveredadjective
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discoverablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discoversimple
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discoverssimple
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have discoveredperfect
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has discoveredperfect
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am discoveringprogressive
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are discoveringprogressive
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is discoveringprogressive
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have been discoveringperfect progressive
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has been discoveringperfect progressive
Past
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discoveredsimple
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had discoveredperfect
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was discoveringprogressive
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were discoveringprogressive
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had been discoveringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discover
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”; see origin at dis- 1, cover
Explanation
If you discover something, you find it unexpectedly, like when you discover your favorite childhood stuffed animal in a box of old junk. When you discover something, it can be by surprise or the result of a search. You might discover the fact that your dad used to travel with the circus as a trapeze artist or discover a band none of your friends ever heard of. Scientists often discover new substances, stars, or organisms. The Latin root discooperire, "uncover," combines the prefix dis-, or "opposite of," with cooperire, "to cover up."
Vocabulary lists containing discover
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Webb's extraordinary sensitivity made it possible to discover 27 exceptionally faint objects.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
High school allowed her to discover a sport she hopes to continue playing in college.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Hiking miles across remote islands avoiding sheep manure and playing into sideways rain allowed us to discover the true origins of the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
At a North Carolina cabin, I once envisioned mornings of cinnamon rolls, bacon and porch-side coffee, only to discover approximately three plates and no coffee maker.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
Through pluck, luck, and a knack for the theatrical, Penelope and Simon had managed to discover those exact words shortly before Penelope was whisked away to Plinkst.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
When Robbie and his mother travel by bus from Alberta, Canada, they part ways for a time before he discovers raging wildfires threaten her location.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Some nod to what’s happening in America, such as when Carrie discovers the school library and gravitates straight to books that have been banned from classrooms and community libraries across the country.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
But something more sinister, he soon discovers, is afoot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He also discovers the unlikeliest of love stories, making the appealingly discursive, touchingly oddball “History” feel like a bent, colorful flower poking out of the pavement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
When Uncle Al discovers that city officials have yet to itemize the Fox Brothers baggage stock, a handful of nondescript horses get spirited from one stable tent to another.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
After insisting on returning to the maternity unit, she was finally seen and doctors discovered her baby had died.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Researchers discovered 27 previously unknown objects, but their findings revealed an unexpected puzzle.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
The newly discovered Egyptian fossil may help explain what was missing from this picture.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
As in the Gilded Age, winning the presidency requires reconciling competing factions, as McKinley, Roosevelt and Wilson discovered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
When I could finally look over at Elliot, I discovered that he was just as mud spattered as me, although his face was a whole lot cleaner.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
This led him to explore along the coast, eventually discovering one of the alleged locations for Bean and his clan.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Researchers are increasingly discovering that the gut microbiome, the vast community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, influences much more than digestion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, customers are discovering they are victims while checking out, creating awkward and sometimes difficult situations at stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
I remember the rosemary, the bicycle ride, the pleasure of discovering another cook’s cupboards.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
In any case, she was discovering, as had many writers before her, that not all recognition is helpful.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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