Definition of discovery
discoveries
1a : the act or process of discovering the discovery of a lost cityb (1) archaic : disclosure (2) obsolete : displayc obsolete : exploration
2 : something discovered
3 : the usually pretrial disclosure of pertinent facts or documents by one or both parties to a legal action or proceeding
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Examples of discovery in a Sentence
Scientists announced the discovery of a new species of plant.
Her research led to a number of important discoveries about the disease.
Reporters made the shocking discovery that the governor had been unfaithful to his wife.
the discovery of pollution in the river
the discovery of a talented musician
sailors during the age of discovery
It was one of the most important discoveries in the history of medicine.
Recent Examples of discovery from the Web
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The results of the testing were announced at a June 1 District 35 school board meeting, and follow the discovery in July 2016 of lead in different locations in the district's three schools.
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The discovery of a missing veteran’s body in a car outside the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington is under investigation.
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That followed the discovery of other spacing issues during a 2014 examination.
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Grants from the National Institutes of Health enabled Professor Kummerow to conduct the research that led to the discovery of trans fats in diseased arteries.
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The discovery was made shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20.
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The discovery of a cache of weapons by the mutinous soldiers on May 15 in a house allegedly owned by Soro’s head of protocol, Souleymane Kamarate Kone, fueled suspicions that Soro was backing the mutineers.
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The discovery, published Friday on the Black Sea website, is the result of a monthslong project by the European Investigative Collaboration network.
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The discovery was made by the Federation of American Scientists, who noticed the National Nuclear Security Agency's 2018 budget request did not include B-52s equipped with gravity bombs.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discovery'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
1529
First Known Use of discovery
1529
DISCOVERY Defined for English Language Learners
discovery
playDefinition of discovery for English Language Learners
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: the act of finding or learning something for the first time : the act of discovering something
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: something seen or learned for the first time : something discovered
DISCOVERY Defined for Kids
discovery
playDefinition of discovery for Students
discoveries
1 : an act of finding out or learning of for the first time Experiments led to their discovery of the cure.
2 : something found or learned of for the first time a recent discovery
Law Dictionary
discovery
Legal Definition of discovery
discoveries
1 : the act or process of discovering
2 : something discovered applied for a patent for the discovery
3a : the methods used by parties to a civil or criminal action to obtain information held by the other party that is relevant to the action — see also deposition, interrogatory, request for production b : the disclosure of information held by the opposing party in an action a party need not provide discovery of electronically stored information…not reasonably accessible — Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 26(b)(2)(B) — see also privilege, work product doctrine
Additional Notes on discovery
Discovery allowed under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26 is far-reaching. With some exceptions, a party may obtain discovery of any relevant information as long as it is not privileged, including information that itself would not be admissible at trial but that is likely to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence. Criminal discovery, however, has been more controversial. Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16, a defendant may obtain discovery of his or her own written or recorded statements or confessions, results of examinations and tests, his or her recorded testimony before a grand jury, and testimony to be given by the prosecution's expert witnesses. A defendant may also inspect the prosecution's books, documents, photographs, objects, and other items of evidence. Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 12.1, the prosecution must also disclose the names of witnesses that will be called to rebut the defendant's alibi defense. The defendant must also permit the prosecution to inspect books, documents, photographs, and objects and must disclose reports of examinations or tests and testimony of expert witnesses.
Learn More about discovery
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See words that rhyme with discovery Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for discovery Spanish Central: Translation of discovery Nglish: Translation of discovery for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of discovery for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about discovery
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