discovery

American  

[dih-skuhv-uh-ree] / dɪˈskʌv ə ri /

noun

• discoveries
  plural

1. the act or process of seeing, finding, or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown, or an instance of this.

   The university is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields.

   Shortly after the discovery of the tomb, many people associated with the expedition died.

2. something found, found out, noticed, or realized.

   In 2009, archaeologists in Rome unearthed a startling discovery: the remains of an elaborate banquet hall built during the reign of Nero.

3. Law. the compulsory exchange or disclosure of information, evidence, documents, etc., in preparation for a lawsuit or trial.

   The plaintiff filed a motion to compel discovery, but the defendants argued that some of the information was exempt.

4. U.S. Aerospace. none Discovery the third space shuttle to orbit and return to earth.

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discovery British  

/ dɪˈskʌvərɪ /

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of discovering

2. a person, place, or thing that has been discovered

3. law the compulsory disclosure by a party to an action of relevant documents in his possession

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Usage

What does discovery mean? A discovery is something that has been discovered—found or found out about for the first time. Discovery can also mean the process of discovering. Discoveries involve finding or gaining knowledge about something that was previously unknown or unseen. The word is especially associated with finding new places (as in the discovery of new lands) and scientific breakthroughs (as in the discovery of a cure). The word discovery is also used in a much more specific way in the context of law, in which it refers to the required disclosure of things like documents to the other party during a legal proceeding, as in These invoices were produced by client during discovery. Example: Ancient Oceanic peoples discovered new methods of seafaring that allowed their discovery and settlement of faraway islands.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondiscovery
  noun
• prediscovery
  noun
• rediscovery
  noun
• self-discovery
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• discoveries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of discovery

First recorded in 1545–55; discover + -y ³

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Explanation

The noun discovery means the finding or uncovering of something. The discovery of a body is usually an important plot point in a mystery novel. The process of finding, realizing, or unearthing something is discovery, like your discovery of a live lizard in the birthday box your aunt mailed from Arizona. The lizard is also a discovery — the thing that is found. In law, discovery means the obligation to reveal any relevant documents to the opposing party in a legal case. The Latin root, discooperire, basically translates as "the opposite of covering something up."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discovery discoveries

In the court documents, several are referred to as "unknown male child" and identified by the location of their grave and date of their discovery.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

As a result, true price discovery for Treasury securities, and by extension yields, is at hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The discovery in Mrk 501 now makes the galaxy a particularly promising target for connecting a gravitational wave signal to an individual pair of supermassive black holes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

The discovery, known as altermagnetism, has revealed a third fundamental category of collinear magnetism and opened new possibilities for quantum materials, advanced electronics, and future computing technologies.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

“Keep this discovery a secret, at least for now. Serenity and I can help you do some research and go through the box. We’ll figure out who this other Edith is on our own.”

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Established in 1975, the award honors discoveries that have significantly advanced scientific understanding, with a substantial share of the recognized research conducted in Europe.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

The friendship became “a safe place for us to also be irreverent” about such baffling discoveries, of which there were “millions,” the CFO said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Beyaz believes the discoveries represent only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to finding new ways to strengthen cancer immunotherapy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Among the discoveries was Pterosphenus rannensis, an ancient aquatic snake species that adds to scientists' understanding of how these reptiles evolved and spread.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Among many other revelations, the underwater discoveries at Antikythera, Cape Gelidonya, and Uluburun led to vital new information about the nature of ships and maritime trading in the ancient Mediterranean world.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

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Related Words

• analysis
• detection
• diagnosis
• disclosure
• encounter
• exploration
• introduction
• revelation
• sighting

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