- [countable, uncountable] an act or the process of finding somebody/something, or learning about something that was not known about before
- Researchers in this field have made some important new discoveries.
- New scientific discoveries are being made all the time.
- discovery of something the discovery of antibiotics in the twentieth century
- The discovery of a child's body in the river has shocked the community.
- the discovery of new talent in the art world
- He saw life as a voyage of discovery.
- The film takes us on a journey of discovery to different parts of the globe.
- discovery that… She was shocked by the discovery that he had been unfaithful.
- In 1974 Hawking made the discovery (= he discovered) that black holes give off radiation.
Extra ExamplesTopics Scientific researcha2- The story tells of a man's journey of personal discovery up an African river.
- There may be many unexpected treasures awaiting discovery.
- the awful discovery that he had been deceiving her
- the discovery of oil in the North Sea
- the grisly discovery of a decapitated body
- To tour the country is to take a voyage of discovery through a land of endless variety.
- In the United States, much drug discovery is done by the government.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- great
- important
- …
- make
- lead to
- await
- …
- discovery by
- discovery of
- a process of discovery
- a journey of discovery
- a voyage of discovery
- …
Definitions on the go
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- [countable] a thing, fact or person that is found or learned about for the first time
- The drug is not a new discovery—it's been known about for years.
- one of the most important scientific discoveries of all time
- potentially the biggest archaeological discovery in Norway for fifty years
- discovery about something recent discoveries about sleep
Extra ExamplesTopics Scientific researcha2- Their work led to some important medical discoveries.
- a discovery by a French scientist
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- great
- important
- …
- make
- lead to
- await
- …
- discovery by
- discovery of
- a process of discovery
- a journey of discovery
- a voyage of discovery
- …
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from discover, on the pattern of the pair recover, recovery.
Check pronunciation:
discovery