Discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of.

synonyms: detect, find, notice, observe.

Dutch: opsporen, detecteren, ontdekken, vinden

Get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally.

synonyms: find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up, see.

Roget 480a: discover, find, determine, evolve, learn etc. 539; fix upon; pick up; find out, trace out, make out, hunt out, fish out, worm out, ferret out, root out; fathom; bring out, draw out; educe, elicit, bring to light; dig out, grub up, fish up; unearth, disinter.    solve, resolve, elucidate; unriddle, unravel, unlock, crack, crack open; pick up, open the lock; find a clue, find clew a to, find the key to the riddle; interpret etc. 522; disclose etc. 529.    trace, get at; hit it, have it; lay one's finger, lay one's hands upon; spot; get at the truth, arrive at the truth etc. 494; put the saddle on the right horse, hit the right nail on the head.    be near the truth, be warm, get warmer, burn; smoke, scent, sniff, catch a whiff of, smell a rat.    open the eyes to; see through, see daylight, see in its true colors, see the cloven foot; detect; catch, catch tripping.    pitch upon, fall upon, light upon, hit upon, stumble upon, pop upon; come across, come onto; meet with, meet up with, fall in with.    recognize, realize; verify, make certain of, identify.    ... show more

Roget 490: know, ken [Scot.], scan, wot^†; wot aware^†, be aware of etc. adj.; ween^†, weet^†, trow^†, have, possess.    conceive; apprehend, comprehend; take, realize, understand, savvy [Slang], appreciate; fathom, make out; recognize, discern, perceive, see, get a sight-of, experience.    know full well; have some knowledge of, possess some knowledge of; be au courant etc. adj.; have in one's head, have at one' fingers ends; know by heart, know by rote; be master of; connaitre le dessous des cartes [Fr.], know what's what etc. 698.    see one's way; discover etc. 480.1. come to one's knowledge etc. (information) 527.    ... show more

Roget 462: answer, respond, reply, rebut, retort, rejoin; give for answer, return for answer; acknowledge, echo.    explain etc. (interpret) 522; solve etc. (unriddle) 522; discover etc. 480.1; fathom, hunt out etc. (inquire) 461; satisfy, set at rest, determine.    ... show more

Roget 441: see, behold, discern, perceive, have in sight, descry, sight, make out, discover, distinguish, recognize, spy, espy, ken [Scot.]; get a sight of, have a sight of, catch a sight of, get a glimpse of, have a glimpse of, catch a glimpse of; command a view of; witness, contemplate, speculate; cast the eyes on, set the eyes on; be a spectator of etc. 444; look on etc. (be present) 186; see sights etc. (curiosity) 455; see at a glance etc. (intelligence) 498.    look, view, eye; lift up the eyes, open one's eye; look at, look on, look upon, look over, look about one, look round; survey, scan, inspect; run the eye over, run the eye through; reconnoiter, glance round, glance on, glance over turn one's looks upon, bend one's looks upon; direct the eyes to, turn the eyes on, cast a glance.    observe etc. (attend to) 457; watch etc. (care) 459; see with one's own eyes; watch for etc. (expect) 507; peep, peer, pry, take a peep; play at bopeep^†.    look full in the face, look hard at, look intently; strain one's eyes; fix the eyes upon, rivet the eyes upon; stare, gaze; pore over, gloat on; leer, ogle, glare; goggle; cock the eye, squint, gloat, look askance.    ... show more

Dutch: leren, horen, uitvinden, vernemen

Make a discovery, make a new finding:
— Roentgen discovered X-rays.

synonym: find.

Make a discovery:
— The story is false, so far as I can discover.

synonym: find.

Dutch: ontdekken

Find unexpectedly.

synonyms: attain, chance on, chance upon, come across, come upon, fall upon, happen upon, light upon, strike.

Dutch: aanlopen, aantreffen, opdiepen, opduikelen, opduiken, stoten, stuiten, tegenkomen, toevallen

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

synonyms: break, bring out, disclose, divulge, expose, give away, let on, let out, reveal, uncover, unwrap ... show more.

Roget 529: disclose, discover, dismask^†; draw the veil, draw aside the veil, lift the veil, raise the veil, lift up the veil, remove the veil, tear aside the veil, tear the curtain; unmask, unveil, unfold, uncover, unseal, unkennel; take off the seal, break the seal; lay open, lay bare; expose; open, open up; bare, bring to light.    divulge, reveal, break; squeal [Coll.], tattle [Coll.], sing [Coll.], rat [Coll.], snitch [Coll.]; let into the secret; reveal the secrets of the prison house; tell etc. (inform) 527; breathe, utter, blab, peach; let out, let fall, let drop, let slip, spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag; betray; tell tales, come out of school; come out with; give vent, give utterance to; open the lips, blurt out, vent, whisper about; speak out etc. (make manifest) 525; make public etc. 531; unriddle etc. (find out) 480.1; split.    acknowledge, allow, concede, grant, admit, own, own up to, confess, avow, throw off all disguise, turn inside out, make a clean breast; show one's hand, show one's cards; unburden one's mind, disburden one's mind, disburden one's conscience, disburden one's heart; open one's mind, lay bare one's mind, tell a piece of one's mind [Fr.]; unbosom oneself, own to the soft impeachment; say the truth, speak the truth; turn King's evidence, Queen's evidence; acknowledge the corn [U.S.].    raise the mask, drop the mask, lift the mask, remove the mask, throw off the mask; expose; lay open; undeceive^†, unbeguile^†; disabuse, set right, correct, open the eyes of; d_esillusionner.    be disclosed &c.; transpire, come to light; come in sight etc. (be visible) 446; become known, escape the lips; come out, ooze out, creep out, leak out, peep out, crop-out; show its face, show its colors; discover itself &c.; break through the clouds, flash on the mind.    ... show more

Dutch: blootleggen, ontboezemen, onthullen, ontsluieren, openbaren, reveleren, uitgieten, uitstorten

See for the first time; make a discovery.

Dutch: onthullen, blootleggen, tot de ontdekking komen, ontdekken

Identify as in botany or biology, for example.

synonyms: describe, distinguish, identify, key, key out, name.