discover

verb

1. 1

   get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

   I learned that she has two grown-up children

   I see that you have been promoted

2. 2

   identify as in botany or biology, for example

3. 3

   make a discovery

   She found that he had lied to her

   The story is false, so far as I can discover

4. 4

   make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret

   The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold

   The actress won't reveal how old she is

5. 5

   make a discovery, make a new finding

   Roentgen discovered X-rays

   Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle

6. 6

   see for the first time; make a discovery

   Who discovered the North Pole?

7. 7

   discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

   She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water

   We found traces of lead in the paint

8. 8

   find unexpectedly

   the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb

   she struck a goldmine