verb

discovered

dih-SKUV-erd

Discovered (verb) means past tense and past participle of discover: to have found or come to know something that was previously unknown to you. Example: “I discovered the leak only when the ceiling stained.”

verb

Past tense and past participle of discover: to have found or come to know something that was previously unknown to you.

"I discovered the leak only when the ceiling stained."

"Researchers discovered the fungus growing on a single tree."

Past tense and past participle of discover: to have found something that already existed but was unknown to the wider world, such as a place, species or law of nature.

"The tomb was discovered by a farmer digging a well."

"Penicillin was discovered by accident."

Past tense and past participle of discover: to have noticed and brought forward someone with talent.

"She was discovered singing in a pub in Cork."

How to Use Discovered

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishFound something or found something out.

When to use it

Neutral, but the 'discovered a land' use carries colonial baggage and is often reworded.

Easily confused with

invented → uncovered → found →

Common pairings

newly discovered discovered that discovered by accident

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

I _____ the leak only when the ceiling stained.

Etymology

From Old French descovrir, from late Latin discooperire 'to uncover', from dis- 'un-' plus cooperire 'to cover'.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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found found out learned uncovered realised located identified unearthed spotted

Related Words

found based base plant covered learned institute launch

Rhymes for discovered

entered tapered covered ordered altered powered layered watered revered angered severed catered

See all rhymes for discovered →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between discovered and invented?

You discover something that already existed and was waiting to be found, such as a planet, a species or a chemical element. You invent something that did not exist until someone made it, such as an engine or a vaccine formulation.

Can you say a country was discovered if people already lived there?

Only from the point of view of the arriving outsiders, and modern writing generally avoids it. Preferred wording names the perspective plainly, for example 'reached', 'arrived in' or 'was the first European to sight'.

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