eureka

[ yoo-ree-kuh, yuh- ]

/ yʊˈri kə, yə- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for eureka on Thesaurus.com

interjection

(initial capital letter) I have found (it): the reputed exclamation of Archimedes when, after long study, he discovered a method of detecting the amount of alloy mixed with the gold in the crown of the king of Syracuse.

(used as an exclamation of triumph at a discovery.)

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of eureka

1560–70; <Greek heúrēka, 1st person singular perfect indicative of heurískein to find, discover

Words nearby eureka

Eurasian, Eurasian Plate, Euratom, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, eureka, eureka moment, Eureka Stockade, eurhythmic, eurhythmics, eurhythmy

Other definitions for eureka (2 of 2)

Eureka

[ yoo-ree-kuh, yuh- ]

/ yʊˈri kə, yə- /

noun

a city in NW California.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use eureka in a sentence

That decades-long durability makes it a hard product to beat, but if you’re looking to cut the size of your stove, Eureka!
The cooking gear you need—and don’t need—for a camping trip|Purbita Saha|June 22, 2021|Popular-Science
We experience night, he speculated in his prose poem Eureka in 1848, because the universe is not eternal.
The universe is 13.8 billion years old—here’s how we know|Charlie Wood|January 13, 2021|Popular-Science
In the Eureka area in northern California, a company managed by Rechnitz in 2011 leased five nursing homes, agreeing to pay the property owner a total of $3 million in rent per year, state records show.
Profit and pain: How California’s largest nursing home chain amassed millions as scrutiny mounted|Debbie Cenziper, Joel Jacobs, Alice Crites, Will Englund|December 31, 2020|Washington Post
Johnson said Rechnitz took over the Eureka properties from an owner facing a large civil judgment and the lease structure required millions of dollars to be set aside for a security deposit and capital expenses.
Profit and pain: How California’s largest nursing home chain amassed millions as scrutiny mounted|Debbie Cenziper, Joel Jacobs, Alice Crites, Will Englund|December 31, 2020|Washington Post

In one example, at the carmaker Porsche, an engineer had a Eureka moment while getting coffee from an automated machine.
Why do so few businesses see financial gains from using A.I.?|Jeremy Kahn|October 20, 2020|Fortune
That part of New York, lower Manhattan, dominated for 300 years, then all of a sudden the whole thing rises up—Eureka-like.
When New York City Hit Its Stride|Allen Barra|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mayor Frank Jager of Eureka made that clear when he spoke at a press conference outside the church.
As 2014 Began, a Fateful Path to a Catholic Priest’s Murder|Michael Daly|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A dispatcher relayed instructions from a Eureka detective to the arresting deputies.
As 2014 Began, a Fateful Path to a Catholic Priest’s Murder|Michael Daly|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chef behind hit Beverly Hills pop-up restaurant Eureka is Flynn McGarry.
Meet Flynn McGarry: America’s Next Great Chef Is 14 Years Old|Jace Lacob|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Not just one of his films but all of them from Performance through to Eureka.
Danny Boyle, Director of 'Trance,' On His Favorite Psychological Thrillers|Danny Boyle|April 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"We ought to have called him and Dorothy when we were first attacked," added Eureka.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz|L. Frank Baum
"Eureka sees better in the dark than we can," whispered Dorothy.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz|L. Frank Baum
They mounted into the buggy, Dorothy holding Eureka safe in her lap.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz|L. Frank Baum
Dorothy held Eureka in her arms and bade her friends a fond good-bye.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz|L. Frank Baum
You owe the Eureka, as your share of the assessment, two dollars and forty cents.
The Varmint|Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for eureka

eureka

/ (jʊˈriːkə) /

interjection

an exclamation of triumph on discovering or solving something

Word Origin for eureka

C17: from Greek heurēka I have found (it), from heuriskein to find; traditionally the exclamation of Archimedes when he realized, during bathing, that the volume of an irregular solid could be calculated by measuring the water displaced when it was immersed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for eureka

Eureka!

[ (yoo-ree-kuh) ]

A Greek word meaning “I have found it!” An exclamation that accompanies a discovery: “When she finally located the rare book, the scholar cried, ‘Eureka!’” (See Archimedes.)

eureka

Origin of eureka

Words nearby eureka

Other definitions for eureka (2 of 2)

Words related to eureka

How to use eureka in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for eureka

Word Origin for eureka

Cultural definitions for eureka