discover Definition
dis·cover (di skuv′ər)
transitive verb
- to be the first to find out, see, or know about
- to find out; learn of the existence of; realize
- to be the first nonnative person to find, come to, or see (a continent, river, etc.)
- to bring to prominence; make famous
- Now Rare to reveal; disclose; expose
- Archaic to uncover
Etymology: ME discoveren < OFr descovrir < LL discooperire, to discover, reveal: see dis- & cover
discover Related Forms
discover Synonyms
discover
v.
Antonyms
discover Usage Examples
Object
- truth: Other countries have discovered these truths the hard way.
- secret: Discover the Secrets of the Grand Chocolat, the Grand Crus of chocolate, which has been made in the Ardeche since 1922.
- joy: Above all Jonathan helped me to free myself from my fears and to discover the joy of playing in ' scary ' places.
- treasure: Mendelssohn discovered hidden treasure which he brought to the attention of the public ( see Matthew 13.
- talent: You will discover new talents and easily identify many species by the course end.
- meaning: Overview This exercise uses a simple concordancer to discover the meaning of words in context.
Subject
accident: Discovered by accident in the late 1920s, the Pcs have many industrial uses.
Adjective complement
more: Over the next few days, we discover more of the beauties of the island.
Modifying Another Word
- newly: We then investigated these newly discovered areas in the field.
- soon: They soon discover they just did... ' For lots of lethal violence involving high-tech weaponry.
- recently: Lectures I've recently discovered the LSE free public lecture program.
Used with why or when
- who: Barnaby sets out to discover who has perpetrated the crime.
- what: Through the Internet, you'll be able to discover what you'll never hear on the six o'clock news.
- which: Then simply move your mouse around the picture to discover which bits take you where.
- why: Psychologists for the last 15 years have been trying to discover why the number 3 stimulates the human brain.
- where: Visiting NHS Direct in March, it had been quite difficult to discover where to access information in relation to heart disease.
- when: The vocational route is sometimes regarded as being second-class, as we discovered when we examined criticisms of our own system.
Preposition: in
- 1950s: Nearby, a Roman kiln was discovered in the 1950s and an archeological survey was carried out with local schools in 2002.
- basement: Two squabbling brothers are propelled into deepest space while playing a mysterious game they discovered in the basement of their old house.
Preposition: by
accident: Discovered by accident in the late 1920s, the Pcs have many industrial uses.
Browse dictionary entries near discover
- ‹ discourtesy
- ‹ discourteous
- ‹ discourse
- ‹ discouraging
- ‹ discouragement
- ‹ discouraged
- ‹ discourage
- ‹ discounting
- ‹ discounter
- ‹ discountenance
- discovered ›
- discovert ›
- discovery ›
- Discovery Day ›
- discredit ›
- discreditable ›
- discreet ›
- discrepancy ›
- discrepant ›
- discrete ›

