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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"Return to Titanic" and "Talking with Robert Ballard"
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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:
This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
Once we discover more about Pugh’s Cathy—once we’ve seen her do the horrible acts I’ve listed—her observation that the only true freedom in this world is economic freedom makes more sense.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Once guests enter a historic mansion in West Adams, they will discover a demented mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The job, they discover, is unlike anything they have had before.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
I glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner and was shocked to discover it was only four-thirty.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
A monster that discovers he cannot be “broken.”
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
For the people who trusted Life Surge in part because they trusted him, what Tebow discovers may matter nearly as much as what regulators do.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
An idealistic forum for postwar rebuilding, he discovers, has become a front for espionage and cynical realpolitik.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Wilson discovers his playwriting voice in this play, but he’s still working out his approach to dramatic structure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The chief surgeon discovers them on his rounds, and is overjoyed.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
After sleepless nights and days of AI-enhanced sleuthing, they’ve now discovered a lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
He said his wife discovered her allergy only this spring when she “turned red as an Oompa Loompa” and went into anaphylaxis two hours after eating a hamburger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Abbot guides blue shark snorkelling trips off of Pembrokeshire and was on a scheduled snorkelling trip in the Celtic Sea on 25 September when he discovered the rare find.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Another thing about permitting reform: No one has ever discovered a way to make a joke involving the words permitting reform, and we’re not about to try.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
When Mama discovered that the moss was actually growing in the soft clay, she told everyone in the hills about it.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales in 2024, Star said discovering that part of the family's history had been "really extraordinary".
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
In the time between discovering and reporting the incident, OpenAI says it was validating and investigating the extent of the hack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Lee herself hovered around the computer bank, watching people interact with them and discovering the random documents left behind or playing one of Apple’s preset games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
After discovering his suppressed memories, Cramer began teaching meditation classes for others seeking to unlock the mysteries of the mind.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Hannie has played the only card she had to stop him from discovering our means of escape.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
