discover
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
Rebecca leads us on a journey to discover what’s behind the hype.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
"They've had multiple chances to tell us about this but instead we have been left to discover it all two years later, when we should be focusing on recovering and moving forward."
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Whether it can help discover what humans don’t yet know is the trillion-dollar question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The researchers are now aiming to discover the first known quasar beyond a redshift of 8, which would reveal an object that existed within the universe's first 630 million years.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
“But just like me? No, mija. You need to discover who you are and be that.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Likewise, viewers will not be startled when Marina eventually discovers painful secrets about her mom and dad that cause her to reconsider those phantom figures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
On a reconnaissance mission, Jessie climbs to the roof and discovers the root of this strange standoffishness: Every child, in every window, has their face glued to a screen.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Roman could also provide atmospheric information for thousands of the transiting planets it discovers.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026
As tensions grow between him and his therapist, Mary, played by Renate Reinsve, Clark discovers the store's route to the Backrooms - a space that begins to prey upon the pair's unresolved traumas.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
When we get home, my mom looks up prosthetists in the phone book, and what she discovers is that if we are going to stay local, Hank Kruber is our only choice.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
"Without the ability to study these stranded animals over decades, we never would have discovered these bacteria. Every whale tells a story, and sometimes that story leads us into entirely new scientific territory."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
I rented a car in Maryland for the weekend and, when I returned it, I discovered a chip that had turned into a small crack in the windshield.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
On Sunday, they sealed leaks that were discovered during pressure testing and are now repressurizing the line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Eleri Ellesmere was discovered unresponsive in the water pool at their private villa near the town of Pollensa on the evening of 24 June.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Abu was still coughing but less now, and I discovered he’d also been in the room for two days, but I hadn’t noticed.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The Spain winger's three-year-old brother Keyne has been another viral sensation this summer, discovering golf to be an incredibly frustrating sport, external, among other things.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Van der Velden says that reviewing different AI-generated versions of a scene can sometimes feel like discovering an unexpectedly inspired take from a human actor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
His portrayal of a paleontologist suddenly discovering that the creatures he’s studied in rock and bone have come to life is just masterful.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Bandy found the move immediately challenging — from trying to figure out how to buy a gym locker to discovering her preferred grocery store, every task felt like extra work.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
It was a chance to be a true explorer—mapping an unknown river and discovering new wildlife species in a land never before seen by any naturalist, or any non-native person for that matter.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
