discover

verb dis·cov·er \ dis-ˈkə-vər \

Updated on: 8 Dec 2017

Definition of discover

discovered; discovering play \-ˈkə-v(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : to make known or visible : expose

discovering himself … as her adoring and magnanimous lover
—T. L. Peacock

b archaic : display

2 a : to obtain sight or knowledge of for the first time : find

discover the solution

when Europeans first discovered the Americas

b : find out

discovered he was out of gas

intransitive verb

: to make a discovery

—

discoverable

play \-ˈkə-v(ə-)rə-bəl\ adjective

—

discoverer

play \-ər-ər\ noun

See discover defined for English-language learners

See discover defined for kids

Examples of discover in a Sentence

Christopher Columbus discovered the New World in 1492.
Several new species of plants have recently been discovered.
It took her several weeks to discover the solution.
The tests have discovered problems in the current design.
She soon discovered what had been going on.

Recent Examples of discover from the Web

In early 2015, a Twitter employee discovered a vast amount of Twitter accounts with IP addresses in Russia and Ukraine.

— selina wang, Bloomberg.com, "Former Twitter Employee Says Fake Russian Accounts Were Not Taken Seriously," 3 Nov. 2017
The doctor discovered that Walker could achieve the feat because her hip sockets hadn't formed.

— elizabeth millard, SELF, "This Athlete Was Born Without Hip Sockets—and Now She's Running Her First Marathon," 3 Nov. 2017
But scientists have discovered some powerful boosters that can help cells produce more NAD+.

— anne-marie guarnieri, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Future of Anti-Aging," 27 Oct. 2017
In 2013, Shafer discovered that FairCom’s data-encryption package had actually exposed a dentist’s office to data theft.

— vanityfair.com, "Justice Department Demands Five Twitter Users’ Personal Info Over an Emoji," 25 Oct. 2017
Wichita police discovered the body of Brewer’s 3-year-old grandson, Evan, encased in concrete last month after Brewer’s son, the boy’s father, had made repeated requests to the Kansas Department for Children and Families to check on the boy.

— bryan lowry, kansascity, "Carl Brewer discusses decision to return to campaign for Kansas governor after tragic death of grandson | The Kansas City Star," 23 Oct. 2017
On its technology front, a handful of pioneering composers and musicians are now partnering with computers and software to discover new sounds and improvisational structures.

— cristofer gross, Daily Pilot, "Dessen jazz trio explores the sounds of science by improvising with software," 19 Oct. 2017
Years later, it was discovered that only the stones were moved, not the remains beneath the earth.

— annie gentile, Courant Community, "Trolley Museum Offers Halloween-Themed Activities," 18 Oct. 2017
On Saturday evening, kids playing hide-and-seek in a west-side park discovered a body.

— emma kate fittes, Indianapolis Star, "Butler University neighborhood celebrates two years without a homicide," 15 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discover.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of discover

Middle English, from Anglo-French descoverir, descovrir, from Late Latin discooperire, from Latin dis- + cooperire to cover — more at cover

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

discover Synonyms

Synonyms

ascertain, catch on (to), find out, get on (to), hear, learn, realize, see, wise (up), get wind of

Antonyms

miss, overlook, pass over

Related Words

hit (on or upon), tumble (to); descry, detect, encounter, espy, see, spot; calculate, dope (out), figure out, find, puzzle (out); discern, mind, note, observe, perceive; divine

Near Antonyms

miss, overlook; disregard, ignore; forget, unlearn; blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, enshroud, hide, mask, occult, screen, shroud, veil

Synonym Discussion of discover

discover, ascertain, determine, unearth, learn mean to find out what one did not previously know. discover may apply to something requiring exploration or investigation or to a chance encounter.

- discovered the source of the river

ascertain implies effort to find the facts or the truth proceeding from awareness of ignorance or uncertainty.

- attempts to ascertain the population of the region

determine emphasizes the intent to establish the facts definitely or precisely.

- unable to determine the origin of the word

unearth implies bringing to light something forgotten or hidden.

- unearth old records

learn may imply acquiring knowledge with little effort or conscious intention (as by simply being told) or it may imply study and practice.

- I learned her name only today
- learning Greek

DISCOVER Defined for English Language Learners

discover

verb

Definition of discover for English Language Learners

: to see, find, or become aware of (something) for the first time
: to show the presence of (something hidden or difficult to see) : to make (something) known
: to learn or find out (something surprising or unexpected)