Definition of eureka
—used to express triumph on a discovery
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When people exclaim Eureka! they are reenacting a legendary event in the life of the Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes. While wrestling with the problem of how to determine the purity of gold, he made the sudden realization that the buoyancy of an object placed in water is equal in magnitude to the weight of the water the object displaces. According to one popular version of the legend, he made his discovery at a public bathhouse, whereupon he leapt out of his bath, exclaimed “Heureka! Heureka!” (“I have found it!”), and ran home naked through the streets. The absence of a contemporary source for this anecdote has done nothing to diminish its popularity over the centuries.
Definition of eureka
: marked by usually sudden triumphant discovery
- a eureka moment
Recent Examples of eureka from the Web
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Advertisement This eureka moment played into a major fashion trend at the time.
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Jeff Greer/Louisville Courier Journal There was no eureka moment, no grand epiphany that woke up Louisville late in Saturday's 71-62 win over rival Indiana at the KFC Yum Center.
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But surely there are eureka moments, when someone is suddenly struck by an idea that materializes from nowhere?
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The industry legend already did so four years ago, with his 586-page memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, which unpacked the many eureka moments of a five-decade career as a hitmaker.
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But recently, my daughter sparked a eureka moment about my leg.
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His eureka moment came in a New York hotel room while reviewing the original receipts for the steel dies used to make the coins.
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His eureka moment came in a New York hotel room while reviewing the original receipts for the steel dies used to make the coins.
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That provides a parallel to Uncle Lester’s problem that leads to a eureka moment for both of them.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eureka.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of eureka
1948
Definition of eureka
: I have found (it)
—motto of California
Did You Know?
When people exclaim Eureka! they are reenacting a legendary event in the life of the Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes. While wrestling with the problem of how to determine the purity of gold, he made the sudden realization that the buoyancy of an object placed in water is equal in magnitude to the weight of the water the object displaces. According to one popular version of the legend, he made his discovery at a public bathhouse, whereupon he leapt out of his bath, exclaimed “Heureka! Heureka!” (“I have found it!”), and ran home naked through the streets. The absence of a contemporary source for this anecdote has done nothing to diminish its popularity over the centuries.
EUREKA Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of eureka for English Language Learners
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—used to express excitement when a discovery has been made
Learn More about eureka
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See words that rhyme with eureka Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about eureka
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