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

Other Word Forms

• discoverable adjective
• discoverably adverb
• nondiscoverable adjective
• prediscover verb (used with object)
• rediscover verb (used with object)
• undiscoverable adjective
• undiscovered adjective
• discoverer noun

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

They are voting in droves and embracing their newly discovered political empowerment.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Although this could be the rarest instrument he’ll ever play, he remains resolute: “For the rest of my life, I hope to discover new sounds every day.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With their help, he makes a quite unflattering list of Rachel’s pros and cons, which, of course, Rachel discovers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And when he discovered neighbours on his Cheshire street had also been receiving suspicious mail they soon found out they were likely being targeted as part of a wider, sophisticated money laundering scam.

Read more on BBC

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati discovered that monk parakeets meeting unfamiliar birds tend to "test the waters" before deciding whether a potential partner is safe to approach.

Read more on Science Daily

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.