discover meaning and definition

DISCOVER verb

Definition of discover (verb)

1. discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
   • "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint"
   • synonyms: detect, find, notice, observe
2. get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
   • "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted"
   • synonyms: find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up, see
3. make a discovery, make a new finding
   • "Roentgen discovered X-rays"; "Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle"
   • synonyms: find
4. make a discovery
   • "She found that he had lied to her"; "The story is false, so far as I can discover"
   • synonyms: find
5. find unexpectedly
   • "the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake"
   • synonyms: attain, chance on, chance upon, come across, come upon, fall upon, happen upon, light upon, strike
6. make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
   • "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case"
   • synonyms: break, bring out, disclose, divulge, expose, give away, let on, let out, reveal, unwrap
7. see for the first time; make a discovery
   • "Who discovered the North Pole?"
8. identify as in botany or biology, for example
   • synonyms: describe, distinguish, identify, key, key out, name