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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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:
High school allowed her to discover a sport she hopes to continue playing in college.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Some have been motivated to discover a lost heritage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
There’s a pleasing logic to it, like introducing two friends at a dinner party and watching them discover they have more in common than the host.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
"Western Sydney is home to more than 2.5 million people and it's a further gateway for Australian visitors to discover everything our country has to offer."
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
But if you could somehow put the two pieces back together, you would discover that your taped-together atom weighed less than it did originally.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
As Mona discovers, the stumbles are as important as the triumphs.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
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
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
Also, he discovers, his sample case is gone, all the bottles and rings and souvenir copper flashlights, all gone, along with his suitcase, his wallet, his passport, and his air tickets back to Oman.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
It was discovered in hospital that he had experienced a stroke.
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
It wasn’t long before we discovered that one who did was the chief of police himself.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
After discovering the swap shop, she said she was pleased to see so many families taking part.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 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
The serendipity of finding a book he hadn’t known about was delicious, as was the pleasure of discovering the expected—a book he knew he wanted if only he could find it in Buschke’s labyrinth.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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