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

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

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

The researchers discovered that four amino acid substitutions in the naked mole-rat's cGAS reduce the protein's tagging for degradation, allowing it to remain active longer and accumulate after DNA damage.

Read more on Science Daily

They hearted her photos and gushed in the comments, prompting the algorithm to push her cakes out to the discover pages of more influential people.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It's a series of newly discovered short stories Lee wrote in the years before Mockingbird, as well as previously published essays and magazine pieces.

Read more on BBC

Or has Ms. Hochul discovered a magical money tree somewhere in the Catskills?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But when she logged into her account one day, she discovered the value was down for another reason: some of her retirement savings was missing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.