discover
verb/dɪˈskʌvə(r)/
/dɪˈskʌvər/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they discover | /dɪˈskʌvə(r)/ /dɪˈskʌvər/ |
| he / she / it discovers | /dɪˈskʌvəz/ /dɪˈskʌvərz/ |
| past simple discovered | /dɪˈskʌvəd/ /dɪˈskʌvərd/ |
| past participle discovered | /dɪˈskʌvəd/ /dɪˈskʌvərd/ |
| -ing form discovering | /dɪˈskʌvərɪŋ/ /dɪˈskʌvərɪŋ/ |
- discover something to be the first person to become aware that a particular place or thing exists
- Cook is credited with discovering Hawaii.
- Scientists around the world are working to discover a cure for the disease.
- a newly discovered snake species
- They first discovered this protein about five years ago.
- She recently discovered two fungi that were new to science.
Extra ExamplesTopics Scientific researcha2- Researchers are hoping to discover new way to purify water.
- They claim to have discovered a direct correlation between the nuclear tests and earthquakes.
- He is credited with having discovered the first recipe for gin back in the 1600s.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- soon
- suddenly
- …
- be amazed to
- be astonished to
- be astounded to
- …
- an attempt to discover something
- newly discovered
- recently discovered
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- to find somebody/something that was hidden or that you did not expect to find
- discover somebody/something Police discovered a large stash of drugs while searching the house.
- We discovered this beach while we were sailing around the island.
- His body was discovered in the lake near his house.
- discover somebody/something doing something He was discovered hiding in a shed.
- discover somebody/something + adj. She was discovered dead at her home in Leeds.
Extra Examples- The leak was first discovered last month.
- The relics were discovered in a lead box in the ruins of an abbey.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- soon
- suddenly
- …
- be amazed to
- be astonished to
- be astounded to
- …
- an attempt to discover something
- newly discovered
- recently discovered
- …
- to find out about something; to find some information about something
- discover something She was determined to discover the truth about her neighbours.
- to discover a secret
- I've just discovered hang-gliding!
- Discover the joys of yoga!
- discover (that)… It was a shock to discover (that) he couldn’t read.
- discover why, how, etc… We never did discover why she gave up her job.
- it is discovered that… It was later discovered that the diaries were a fraud.
- somebody/something is discovered to be/have… He was later discovered to be seriously ill.
Extra Examples- She subsequently discovered that he'd been having an affair for several months.
- But how had he discovered her whereabouts?
- recently discovered evidence
- We soon discovered we'd been mistaken.
- They are trying to discover the truth about his disappearance.
- I was surprised to discover he had never learned to drive.
- It would be fascinating to discover more about the town's history.
- It was a terrible shock to discover the full extent of the problem.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- soon
- suddenly
- …
- be amazed to
- be astonished to
- be astounded to
- …
- an attempt to discover something
- newly discovered
- recently discovered
- …
- [often passive] to be the first person to realize that somebody is very good at singing, acting, etc. and help them to become successful and famous
- be discovered The singer was discovered while still at school.
- There's great talent out there just waiting to be discovered.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- soon
- suddenly
- …
- be amazed to
- be astonished to
- be astounded to
- …
- an attempt to discover something
- newly discovered
- recently discovered
- …
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘make known’): from Old French descovrir, from late Latin discooperire, from Latin dis- (expressing reversal) + cooperire ‘cover completely’, from co- (expressing intensive force) + operire ‘to cover’.
Check pronunciation:
discover