Standard Lemma guide

discovery

noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈskʌv.ə.ɹi/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Vancouver-Island, Canada: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /dɪˈskɐv.ɹi/
  • Australian: /dɪˈskɐv.ə.ɹi/
  • New-Zealand: /dəˈskɐv.ɹi/
  • New-Zealand: /dəˈskɐv.ə.ɹi/
  • India: /ɖɪsˈkəʋə.ɾiː/
  • rhymes with -ʌvəɹi
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S K AH1 V ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D IH0 S K AH1 V R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 3: D IH2 S K AH1 V R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something discovered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • This latest discovery should eventually lead to much better treatments for disease.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The discovering of new things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • The purpose of the voyage was discovery.
  • Automatic discovery of RSS feeds by a Web browser.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An act of uncovering or revealing something; a revelation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: law

Examples

  • The prosecution moved to suppress certain items turned up during discovery.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Materials revealed to the opposing party during the pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: law

Examples

  • The defense argued that the plaintiff's discovery was inadequate.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A discovered attack.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: board-games, chess, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the act of discovering something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: find, uncovering

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: act, deed, human action, human activity

Narrower terms: tracing, detection, catching, espial, spying, spotting, self-discovery, breakthrough, determination, finding, rediscovery

8

noun

Meaning 8

a productive insight

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: breakthrough, find

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: insight, brainstorm, brainwave

9

noun

Meaning 9

something that is discovered

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disclosure, revelation, revealing

10

noun

Meaning 10

(law) compulsory pretrial disclosure of documents relevant to a case; enables one side in a litigation to elicit information from the other side concerning the facts in the case

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disclosure, revelation, revealing

History

Etymology

from discover + -ery, on the pattern of the pair recover, recovery. Displaced native Old English onfundennes.

Across languages

Translations

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: zbulim — something discovered
  • Arabic: اِكْتِشَاف (iktišāf) — something discovered
  • Armenian: հայտնագործություն (haytnagorcutʻyun) — something discovered
  • Asturian: descubrimientu — something discovered
  • Azerbaijani: kəşf — something discovered
  • Belarusian: адкры́цце (adkrýccje) — something discovered
  • Belarusian: адкры́цьце (adkrýcʹcje) — something discovered
  • Belarusian: адкрыццё (adkryccjó) — something discovered
  • Belarusian: адкрыцьцё (adkrycʹcjó) — something discovered
  • Bengali: আবিষ্কার (abiśkar) — something discovered
  • Bulgarian: откри́тие (otkrítie) — something discovered
  • Catalan: descobriment — something discovered
  • Chinese Cantonese: 發現 /发现 (faat3 jin6) — something discovered
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發現 /发现 (fāxiàn) — something discovered
  • Czech: objev — something discovered
  • Danish: opdagelse — something discovered
  • Dutch: ontdekking — something discovered
  • Dutch: vinding — something discovered
  • Esperanto: malkovro — something discovered
  • Estonian: avastus — something discovered
  • Finnish: löytö — something discovered
  • Finnish: löydös — something discovered
  • French: découverte — something discovered
  • Galician: descubrimento — something discovered
  • Georgian: აღმოჩენა (aɣmočena) — something discovered
  • German: Entdeckung — something discovered
  • Greek: ανακάλυψη (anakálypsi) — something discovered
  • Ancient Greek: εὕρημα (heúrēma) — something discovered
  • Haitian Creole: dekouvèt — something discovered
  • Hebrew: תַּגְלִית (taglít) — something discovered
  • Hindi: खोज (khoj) — something discovered
  • Hindi: आविष्कार (āviṣkār) — something discovered
  • Hungarian: felfedezés — something discovered
  • Icelandic: uppgötvun — something discovered
  • Indonesian: penemuan — something discovered
  • Interlingua: discoperta — something discovered
  • Irish: fionnachtain — something discovered
  • Italian: scoperta — something discovered
  • Italian: scoprimento — something discovered
  • Japanese: 発見 (hakken) — something discovered
  • Kazakh: ашу (aşu) — something discovered
  • Korean: 발견 (balgyeon) — something discovered
  • Northern Kurdish: keşf — something discovered
  • Kyrgyz: ачуу (acuu) — something discovered
  • Kyrgyz: ачылыш (acılış) — something discovered
  • Lao: ການຄົ້ນພົບ (kān khon phop) — something discovered
  • Latin: inventio — something discovered
  • Latin: repertum — something discovered
  • Latvian: atklāšana — something discovered
  • Latvian: atklājums — something discovered
  • Lithuanian: atradimas — something discovered
  • Lithuanian: atskleidimas — something discovered
  • Macedonian: откри́тие (otkrítie) — something discovered
  • Malay: penemuan — something discovered
  • Mongolian: нээлт (neelt) — something discovered
  • Mongolian: ᠨᠡᠭᠡᠭᠡᠯᠲᠡ (negegelte) — something discovered
  • Norwegian Bokmål: oppdagelse — something discovered
  • Occitan: descobèrta — something discovered
  • Old English: onfundennes — something discovered
  • Pashto: کشف (kašf) — something discovered
  • Pashto: کشفونه (kašfawǝna) — something discovered
  • Iranian Persian: کَشْف (kašf) — something discovered
  • Iranian Persian: اِکْتِشاف (ektešâf) — something discovered
  • Iranian Persian: یافْتِه (yâfte) — something discovered
  • Polish: odkrycie — something discovered
  • Portuguese: descoberta — something discovered
  • Romanian: descoperire — something discovered
  • Russian: откры́тие (otkrýtije) — something discovered
  • Serbo-Croatian: откри́ће — something discovered
  • Serbo-Croatian: otkríće — something discovered
  • Slovak: objav — something discovered
  • Slovene: odkritje — something discovered
  • Spanish: descubrimiento — something discovered
  • Spanish: hallazgo — something discovered
  • Swedish: upptäckt — something discovered
  • Swedish: fynd — something discovered
  • Tajik: кашф (kašf) — something discovered
  • Tajik: ихтироъ (ixtiro') — something discovered
  • Tajik: кашфиёт (kašfiyot) — something discovered
  • Tajik: иктишоф (iktišof) — something discovered
  • Tamil: கண்டுபிடிப்பு (kaṇṭupiṭippu) — something discovered
  • Thai: การค้นพบ (gaan-kón-póp) — something discovered
  • Turkish: keşif — something discovered
  • Ottoman Turkish: كشف (keşf, keşif) — something discovered
  • Ukrainian: відкриття́ (vidkryttjá) — something discovered
  • Urdu: اِنْکِشاف (inkiśāf) — something discovered
  • Urdu: دَرْیافْت (daryāft) — something discovered
  • Urdu: اِکْتِشاف (iktiśāf) — something discovered
  • Uyghur: بايقاش (bayqash) — something discovered
  • Uzbek: kashfiyot — something discovered
  • Uzbek: ixtiro — something discovered
  • Vietnamese: khám phá — something discovered
  • Arabic: اِكْتِشَاف (iktišāf) — the discovering of new things
  • Asturian: descubrimientu — the discovering of new things
  • Bulgarian: откри́тие (otkrítie) — the discovering of new things
  • Catalan: descobriment — the discovering of new things
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發現 /发现 (fāxiàn) — the discovering of new things
  • Czech: objevování — the discovering of new things
  • Czech: průzkum — the discovering of new things
  • Danish: opdagelse — the discovering of new things
  • Dutch: ontdekking — the discovering of new things
  • Esperanto: trovo — the discovering of new things
  • Finnish: löytäminen — the discovering of new things
  • French: découverte — the discovering of new things
  • Galician: descubrimento — the discovering of new things
  • Georgian: აღმოჩენა (aɣmočena) — the discovering of new things
  • German: Entdeckung — the discovering of new things
  • Greek: ανακάλυψη (anakálypsi) — the discovering of new things
  • Ancient Greek: εὕρημα (heúrēma) — the discovering of new things
  • Hebrew: גילוי (gilúy) — the discovering of new things
  • Hungarian: felfedezés — the discovering of new things
  • Interlingua: discoperta — the discovering of new things
  • Italian: scoperta — the discovering of new things
  • Japanese: 発見 (hakken) — the discovering of new things
  • Kazakh: ашу (aşu) — the discovering of new things
  • Korean: 발견 (balgyeon) — the discovering of new things
  • Latin: inventio — the discovering of new things
  • Latvian: atklāšana — the discovering of new things
  • Lithuanian: atradimas — the discovering of new things
  • Māori: tūhuratanga — the discovering of new things
  • Occitan: descobèrta — the discovering of new things
  • Old English: onfundennes — the discovering of new things
  • Iranian Persian: کَشْف (kašf) — the discovering of new things
  • Iranian Persian: اِکْتِشاف (ektešâf) — the discovering of new things
  • Polish: odkrywanie — the discovering of new things
  • Portuguese: descobrimento — the discovering of new things
  • Portuguese: descoberta — the discovering of new things
  • Russian: откры́тие (otkrýtije) — the discovering of new things
  • Russian: открыва́ние (otkryvánije) — the discovering of new things
  • Slovak: hľadanie — the discovering of new things
  • Spanish: descubrimiento — the discovering of new things
  • Spanish: hallazgo — the discovering of new things
  • Swedish: upptäckt — the discovering of new things
  • Swedish: fynd — the discovering of new things
  • Tamil: கண்டுபிடிப்பு (kaṇṭupiṭippu) — the discovering of new things
  • Thai: การค้นหา (gaan-kón-hǎa) — the discovering of new things
  • Turkish: keşif — the discovering of new things
  • Ottoman Turkish: كشف (keşf, keşif) — the discovering of new things
  • Czech: vyšetřování — legal: pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered
  • Finnish: tutkinta — legal: pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered
  • Hebrew: גילוי (gilúy) — legal: pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered
  • Hebrew: גילוי מסמכים (gilúy mismakhím) — legal: pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered
  • Spanish: descubrimiento — legal: pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered
  • Finnish: näyttö — legal: materials revealed to the opposing party during the pre-trial phase
Real reading context

discovery in complete knowledge articles