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:
Sometimes you only discover what you want as you go.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
While Chelsea have been punished for their breaches, Manchester City are still waiting to discover their fate after being charged with more than 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules following a four-year investigation.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Lead author Dr. Alberto Cruz did not set out to discover a new species.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
That’s what happens when college recruiters discover someone with size, good footwork and the ability to improve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
And there was only one way I’d discover anything about Will and his parents.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The uncertainty ratchets up after Max heads to Malta, the small archipelago nation in the Mediterranean, to translate the work of an up-and-coming poet, and Leonie discovers that she’s pregnant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In addition to “Hexed,” a magical coming-of-age adventure about a young girl named Billie who discovers she’s a witch that will hit theaters Nov. 25, Disney Animation announced “Clay” for 2028.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
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
On a reconnaissance mission, Jessie climbs to the roof and discovers the root of this strange standoffishness: Every child, in every window, has their face glued to a screen.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Deserted by him and nearly everybody else, bed-bound in a garret, she discovers in herself a sense of humor.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Medina herself discovered a restock of the Tags while scrolling TikTok and thinking about the product.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Burrows had declared he would never support the withdrawal of the service during a public meeting, a view Nesbitt said he only discovered by "monitoring the media".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Advice for a shocking family discovery: What would you do if you discovered you have secret siblings?
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Neither E. coli nor salmonella has been discovered during daily testing, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The one about a young witch who discovered a crack in the air and found herself in the Red Woods, where she lived with the royal family of jackalopes.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Some bars, Infante noted, are already experimenting with lower-priced cocktails and expanded happy hours after discovering there may simply be a ceiling to what customers will pay for a drink.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Once they decided to vacation in Atlantic Canada, Kent Truscott and his wife embraced the idea of discovering their own country.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO—Alex Sorenson and Lizzie Silvers were about to tie the knot at an outdoor ceremony when a group of tipsy young men stumbled in out of the gloom, tittering at discovering nuptials in progress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Yet scientists are discovering that this everyday drink may be doing far more in the body than quenching thirst.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
I haven’t managed to shake the feeling since discovering it, and so I’m already on the back foot when I walk in the classroom.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
