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

Derived Forms

• disˈcoverer, noun
• disˈcoverable, adjective

Other Words From

• dis·cover·a·ble adjective
• dis·cover·a·bly adverb
• nondis·cover·a·ble adjective
• predis·cover verb (used with object)
• redis·cover verb (used with object)
• undis·cover·a·ble adjective
• undis·covered 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

He told the BBC he was astonished to discover his identity was being used as director of UCL Tickets Ltd - a firm he had never heard of, and with which he had never consented to be involved.

From BBC

The women were about to discover who they had really been dating.

From BBC

Shares in Capital One and Discover, which have a merger under review by regulators, have jumped roughly 20% since the result.

From BBC

How do you discover new music?

From Los Angeles Times

Zoey Deutch’s Emily Webb and Ephraim Sykes’ George Gibbs, the young couple who discover love and are taught the hard lesson of loss, don’t on their own drive home the pathos, but they are in perfect tune with Leon’s inclusive vision.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• catch
• come upon
• design
• detect
• determine
• devise
• disclose
• explore
• hear
• identify
• invent
• learn
• locate
• notice
• observe
• realize
• recognize
• reveal
• see
• spot