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Synonyms

eureka

1 American  
[yoo-ree-kuh, yuh-] / yʊˈri kə, yə- /

interjection

  1. (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.

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

Eureka 2 American  
[yoo-ree-kuh, yuh-] / yʊˈri kə, yə- /

noun

  1. a city in NW California.

eureka British  
/ jʊˈriːkə /

interjection

  1. an exclamation of triumph on discovering or solving something

"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
Eureka! Cultural  

  1. 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.)

Etymology

Origin of eureka

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I think my first eureka moment was when I was traveling in sub-Saharan Africa on the Ivory Coast doing a site visit.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

"But as often happens, we came across the answer while deep in obscure literature before our eureka moment."

From Science Daily • Nov. 5, 2025

We learn, for example, that there’s far more to the penicillin story than the casual history of Alexander Fleming’s eureka moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

This is a eureka moment for astronomers as they just found a new way to track Venusian weather over the past decade - the longest duration of observation ever.

From Space Scoop • Jul. 8, 2025

Hudson leans in, puts his fist underneath his chin, and stares off into the sky like he’s just had the most epic eureka moment and is now ready to remake the world.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.