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:
The website became known as a pop culture hub, where readers could indulge in the latest celebrity gossip or discover a unique cooking recipe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Have you ever had a wonderful friend, but then gone on vacation with them only to discover that you needed space?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Rebecca leads us on a journey to discover what’s behind the hype.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
The possibility that AI could discover powerful new drugs has long been tantalizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
And when it’s Sunday, and the nurses are both on duty, and it’s his day of the week to come downstairs, I discover he has fleas.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
If a future astrobiology mission discovers life in Venus' clouds, one possible explanation is that it originally came from Earth.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
On a reconnaissance mission, Jessie climbs to the roof and discovers the root of this strange standoffishness: Every child, in every window, has their face glued to a screen.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
When he discovers a good groove and settles into it, he doesn’t mind sticking around for a while, and trusts that you will, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
His condition is both a superpower and a vulnerability, as we see when he discovers a dangerous new skill, cracking safes, with his unique ability to hear the tumblers of the lock moving internally.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
When Uncle Al discovers that city officials have yet to itemize the Fox Brothers baggage stock, a handful of nondescript horses get spirited from one stable tent to another.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
A woman whose dead father was discovered at an undertaker's three months after his funeral says her hellish ordeal has "crucified" her.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"I discovered that he was still in there almost two years after we'd had the funeral," she said, describing the discovery as "distressing".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
America’s first permanent federal bankruptcy law, enacted in 1898, was designed for businesses, but individuals discovered its benefits, as Mary Eschelbach Hansen and Bradley A. Hansen explain in “Bankrupt in America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The newly discovered buoyancy system could also contribute to efforts to develop smart materials made with resilin.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
When Coal had finally told Doc and Jackson how he’d discovered his ability, they shared a brief moment of shocked silence and then jumped into action.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
For some, discovering attachment theory can involve re-examining family relationships, which can potentially lead to resentment.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
More important, no small part of the fun is in discovering each new universe alongside the travelers, and in the transformation of familiar environments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
His portrayal of a paleontologist suddenly discovering that the creatures he’s studied in rock and bone have come to life is just masterful.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Bandy found the move immediately challenging — from trying to figure out how to buy a gym locker to discovering her preferred grocery store, every task felt like extra work.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Thus, Park Service biologists managed the wonderfully unusual accomplishment of discovering and eradicating in the same instant a new species of fish.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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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