discover

verb

di-ˈskə-vər How to pronounce discover (audio)
Definition of discovernext
1
as in to realize
to come to an awareness of I was startled to discover that my keys were missing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to find
to come upon after searching, study, or effort we hope to discover the real reason for his odd behavior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to reveal
to make known (as information previously kept secret) discovered to his friend how people whom he had trusted had betrayed him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb discover contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of discover are ascertain, determine, learn, and unearth. While all these words 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

When is ascertain a more appropriate choice than discover?

The synonyms ascertain and discover are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

When is it sensible to use determine instead of discover?

While the synonyms determine and discover are close in meaning, determine emphasizes the intent to establish the facts definitely or precisely.

unable to determine the origin of the word

When might learn be a better fit than discover?

The words learn and discover are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

In what contexts can unearth take the place of discover?

Although the words unearth and discover have much in common, unearth implies bringing to light something forgotten or hidden.

unearth old records

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discover Each release added to his growing body of work and gave listeners more opportunities to discover his musical style. — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 The flaws were discovered in a major programming language called PHP, short for Hypertext Preprocessor. — Kate Bartlett, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 However, some people quickly discovered another side of the technology. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Sekar says there are more PHP-like vulnerabilities out there to discover and exploit. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for discover
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discover
  1. realize
  2. find
  3. reveal
  4. learn
  5. locate
  6. disclose
  7. see
  8. uncover
Verb
  • Stocks, the OneLegacy nurse, realized OPOs have data that could help patients advocate for themselves, and started combing records.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The spirit company’s Instagram page shared a video of the moment people realized who their special guest was and began freaking out when Jenner walked in unannounced.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of realize
Verb
  • Neither team could find a flow from three-point range in the first half as the teams combined to shoot five for 29 from deep — three of 16 by Golden State and two for 13 by Atlanta.
    — Janie McCauley, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Of the first 15 plays for the Dallas offense, 10 were on the ground, and the Cowboys found success.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • As case counts surged in the initial months of the outbreak, population and demographic data revealed who was shouldering the greatest burdens.
    — Julie Morita, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Medical examinations initially revealed no major injury, but his condition deteriorated.
    — Lance B. Fulford, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of reveal
Verb
  • The Sun enters your 3rd House, beginning a month that favors learning, writing, conversations, local activity, and following questions farther than usual.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The foundation cites decades of research and learning showing that grantees with flexible, long-term funding were better prepared for the unexpected.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of learn
Verb
  • According to local lore, however, Ware’s headless body is not in that grave but instead in her original grave, now located at the bottom of Silver Lake.
    — Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Named Gerrothorax maritimus, the salamander-sized ocean creature’s skeletons were discovered in China’s Guizhou Province in an area that was once covered by ocean and located hundreds of miles away from large land masses.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of locate
Verb
  • What’s more, CFO Bret Johnson disclosed on the earnings call plans for $35 billion to $50 billon in investment just for Q4 alone.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Those searches disclosed West’s address, date of birth, Social Security number and other information, according to the filing.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of disclose
Verb
  • The attacks, which saw 1,195 people killed and 251 taken into Gaza as hostages, triggered a major security crisis that led to three years of war on multiple fronts.
    — Yarden Segev, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The offense had a healthy-enough balance with the run game (more on that in a bit) to involve multiple pass-catchers, and the trio of leading receivers saw the immediate benefits.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of see
Verb
  • Agents uncovered previously unknown software vulnerabilities and flaws in OpenAI’s own configurations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Another part of the investigation uncovered devices pretending to be expensive smartphones.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncover

Browse Nearby Words

discourtesy
discover
discovered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discover.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discover. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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