From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdiscoverdis‧cov‧er /dɪsˈkʌvə $ -ər/ ●●● S2 W1 verb [transitive] 1 to find someone or something, either by accident or because you were looking for them The body was discovered in a field. Forest Service crews often discover campfires that have not been put out completely.► see thesaurus at find2 FIND OUTto find out something that you did not know about before The exercises let students discover math concepts on their own.discover (that) She discovered that she was pregnant.discover who/what/how etc His friends were shocked to discover how ill he was.GrammarIn more formal English, you say it is discovered that something is true: It was discovered that lightning was electrical.3 FINDif someone discovers a new place, fact, substance etc, they are the first person to find it or know that it exists The Curies are best known for discovering radium.4 to notice or try something for the first time and start to enjoy it At fourteen, Louise discovered boys.5 SUCCESSFULto notice someone who is very good at something and help them to become successful and well known a band that’s waiting to be discovered —discoverer noun [countable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
discover• Police discovered 500 pounds of dynamite in the house.• She used to go to Hollywood parties, hoping to be discovered.• Australian researchers have discovered a substance in coffee that acts like morphine.• The Vikings may have discovered America long before Columbus.• The two girls were inseparable until Veronica discovered boys.• The planet Pluto was discovered in 1930.• Soon after hitting the water, I saw a Hurricane above me which I discovered later was Barber.• The basic information they needed had been discovered more than two centuries before.• Okay, a scientist reports the measurement of the temperature of a new discovered planet to be minus point eight degrees.• I began to learn the guitar, and discovered that I was pretty good at it.• It discovered that social problems-issues of motivation, attitude, and expectations-were a greater obstacle than lack of programs.• Fire officers are still trying to discover the cause of the fire.• Only after users discovered the flaw and began discussing it on the Internet did Intel admit the problem.• She discovered the job wasn't as easy as it might seem.• I have at last discovered the true secret to quitting smoking.• They never discovered who the murderer was.discover who/what/how etc• The friend answered and a note of panic entered his voice when he discovered who it was.• But I discovered how much I had developed my own patterns, routines, and economies.• By asking this question you will discover what the employer is thinking.• Investigations are continuing to discover how the two cars came to collide at the Great Stainton crossroads on the narrow road.• What Fussell is looking for are the records of the little people, to discover what the war was like for them.• In addition, all of these young people are struggling to discover who they are amid this ongoing turmoil.• To discover how to find the component values of a synthesised high-pass filter, consider the particular case of a second-order type.• We discovered how to get in and, more important, how to get out afterwards.Origin discover (1300-1400) Old French descovrir, from Late Latin discooperire “to uncover” 