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:
"We will discover the extraordinary relationship we have with the ocean. One that has never been more important to understand."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 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
"I'm excited to discover what we may have missed before with this new perspective."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
When the piece was published, it drew a crowd: Hundreds of people in and around Bellingham had picked up the newspaper to discover that their 7 percent mortgage was in fact a 12.5 percent mortgage.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
A monster that discovers he cannot be “broken.”
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Khadijah had insisted on nursing their newborn Aziza with her own breast milk, but Latif discovers that only a few pouches remain in the fridge and formula makes his baby sick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Randy Marsh, meanwhile, discovers the same opportunity from the opposite direction.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
“If you open yourself to it,” she discovers, “life will appear before you, in everyday, perfectly tangible miracles.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The August that Gogol turns five, Ashima discovers she is pregnant again.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
She discovered that by then, Texas’ statute of limitations had run out, and even if it hadn’t, the state’s voluntary-intoxication loophole likely would have doomed her case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Hospital staff informed law enforcement, and when police arrived at their home they discovered three different rooms called "learning centres" under the supervision of multiple nannies, which Hochman described as a "house of horrors".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
State criminal police officers reportedly discovered an electronic data storage device containing sensitive information including recent BND documents.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Scientists studying the tropical forests of Malaysian Borneo have discovered an unexpected shift in one of the region's long-running ecological partnerships.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
And what if they discovered him—the fabled monster they loved to hate?
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
He remembers discovering Slash after his family got cable television.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
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
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
Reading a book was not so much like entering a different world—it was like discovering a different language.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
