discover
Usage
What are other ways to say discover?
The verb discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before. To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even when fossils survive, scientists can only discover them if the rock layers containing them are accessible today.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026
For Dorothy Leeman, the experience has also been an opportunity to discover what she can do.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Gerald Cyrus: I was very fortunate in that I was able to discover a group of photographers based out of Leimert Park at a gallery called the Black Gallery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
By the time we came back together, the poor girlfriend was understandably shaken to discover, in person, the reality I’d been hiding behind a screen.
From Slate ● Nov. 11, 2026
Through pluck, luck, and a knack for the theatrical, Penelope and Simon had managed to discover those exact words shortly before Penelope was whisked away to Plinkst.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Britton, assigned to search the barn where Himmler was hiding, discovers, and is allowed to keep, the madman’s slippers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
A monster that discovers he cannot be “broken.”
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
He also discovers the unlikeliest of love stories, making the appealingly discursive, touchingly oddball “History” feel like a bent, colorful flower poking out of the pavement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Khadijah had insisted on nursing their newborn Aziza with her own breast milk, but Latif discovers that only a few pouches remain in the fridge and formula makes his baby sick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
He felt momentarily pleased, like a man who, catching a chance glimpse of himself in a mirror, discovers a figure of some dignity.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Ukraine has discovered a new way to defend its capital city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
The witnesses talked about the fear that gripped them when they discovered they were ill.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026
Two fishermen discovered the Royal Caribbean employee near Catalina Island and officials believe he may have been in the Pacific Ocean for nine hours, according to CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
By analyzing highly precise measurements of magnetic fields and particles, the team discovered that turbulent magnetic fields reverse their direction of rotation at a particular range of wavelengths.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026
But now I discovered that I liked the business side of it too, liked catalogues and stock listings, liked the whole busy, energetic world of trade.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Many workers are clinging to their jobs these days, but some are discovering the art of embracing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and keeping the option of a career comeback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
She had completed some 1,700 jumps since discovering skydiving in 2015 and entered her first competition two years ago, according to her blog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026
Researchers are increasingly discovering that the gut microbiome, the vast community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, influences much more than digestion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
After discovering the swap shop, she said she was pleased to see so many families taking part.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
He was discovering a new power in himself: he was able to stop thinking things he didn’t want to think.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Vocabulary lists containing discover
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"Return to Titanic" and "Talking with Robert Ballard"
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