discover
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to notice or realize.
I discovered I didn't have my credit card with me when I went to pay my bill.
-
Archaic. to make known; reveal; disclose.
verb
-
to be the first to find or find out about
Fleming discovered penicillin
-
to learn about or encounter for the first time; realize
she discovered the pleasures of wine
-
to find after study or search
I discovered a leak in the tank
-
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
-
discoverernoun
-
prediscoververb (used with object)
-
rediscoververb (used with object)
-
discoverableadjective
-
nondiscoverableadjective
-
undiscoverableadjective
-
undiscoveredadjective
-
discoverablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discoversimple
-
discoverssimple
-
have discoveredperfect
-
has discoveredperfect
-
am discoveringprogressive
-
are discoveringprogressive
-
is discoveringprogressive
-
have been discoveringperfect progressive
-
has been discoveringperfect progressive
Past
-
discoveredsimple
-
had discoveredperfect
-
was discoveringprogressive
-
were discoveringprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Return to Titanic" and "Talking with Robert Ballard"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Have you ever had a wonderful friend, but then gone on vacation with them only to discover that you needed space?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
When Kathryn Truman’s son Sawyer enrolled in kindergarten, she was surprised to discover his school only gave him 20 minutes of recess a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Rebecca leads us on a journey to discover what’s behind the hype.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
Though Nam Ji-ah looks like Ah-eum, Lee does not believe it is her but together they try to discover what happened to her parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
To discover something that will earn us our trip back.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
If a future astrobiology mission discovers life in Venus' clouds, one possible explanation is that it originally came from Earth.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
There, Lightning gets to know the town’s colorful cars and discovers that glory isn’t all it’s cracked up to be if you have no one to enjoy it with.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
Along with a few other foundlings, Neriya discovers a peculiar sanctuary among a community of corvids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
His condition is both a superpower and a vulnerability, as we see when he discovers a dangerous new skill, cracking safes, with his unique ability to hear the tumblers of the lock moving internally.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
When Uncle Al discovers that city officials have yet to itemize the Fox Brothers baggage stock, a handful of nondescript horses get spirited from one stable tent to another.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Bush's crimes were discovered by chance while he was on holiday, following a tip-off from two funeral directors from a different firm.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The 48-year-old's crimes were discovered by chance while he was on holiday, after two funeral directors tipped off police.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
McCreary began creating television and film scores, discovered his inner metalhead, and has since bridged those worlds with his “Singularity” project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The answer, discovered in 1975 by Dr. Snyder and one of his graduate students, Candace Pert, was a cellular site—a receptor—to which dopamine attached.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
To be a true friend, you have to be a good listener, and I discovered that day that Marlene was the truest of friends.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Recently, cookbook author and food-world oracle Alison Roman gave Loonen her social-media stamp of approval after discovering it at Two Bunch Palms hotel in Desert Hot Springs, Calif.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
More people are discovering that they can follow every headline, understand every threat and still have nowhere to put the fear.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
And Mikhail Fiksel’s looping systems architecture and sound design, while beyond my technical comprehension, added to the unique magic of a score that is discovering itself in real time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
On discovering she was still alive they rushed her to hospital where she later died having suffered hypothermia.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Luc Montagnier, the French doctor generally credited with discovering the HIV virus, was speaking at the conference.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
