discover

verb

dis·cov·er di-ˈskə-vər

discovered; discovering di-ˈskə-v(ə-)riŋ

Synonyms of discover next

transitive verb

: to make known or visible : expose

discovering himself … as her adoring and magnanimous lover—

T. L. Peacock

archaic : display

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

discover the solution

discovered a new Italian restaurant

: find out

discovered he was out of gas

intransitive verb

: to make a discovery

discoverable

di-ˈskə-v(ə-)rə-bəl

adjective

discoverer

di-ˈskə-vər-ər

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Example Sentences

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 on the Web Follow along our full history of the MX-5 for a hint, and discover a few of the model's desirable special editions and offshoots. —

Alexander Stoklosa, Car and Driver, 18 May 2023 Pit Bull Overlooked by Adopters for 4 Years Is Still Hoping to Find a Best Friend and New Home Aussie Ark discovered Lisa's joeys through one of their routine health examinations. —

Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 17 May 2023 Search boats and dive teams scour the turbulent river for days, but sometimes townspeople will discover the bodies weeks later instead. —

Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 Heidi Vance did a bit of research and discovered that if Sammie collected plastic bottle caps, a company in a nearby town could recycle them into a bench – which would be cheaper than just ordering a new one. —

Michele Cohen Marill, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023 To discover how leaders can harness the power of a growth mindset to build a culture that supports employees broadly, Quartz sought the advice of David Rock, co-founder and CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, a cognitive science consultancy. —

Anna Oakes, Quartz, 17 May 2023 Yet a number of enterprising Bay Area breweries have discovered one helpful way of meeting these challenges: merging with each other. —

Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 May 2023 Archaeologists have discovered more than 6,000 desert kites across the Middle East and Central Asia; some parts of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have up to one kite for every square kilometer. —

Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 17 May 2023 How to discover that little bit of joy in everyday life. —

Fortune Editors, Fortune, 17 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.