disc
noun
a phonograph record.
disc
1 American
[disk]
/ dɪsk /
Also
disk
disc-
2
American
disc.
3
American
abbreviation
-
discount.
-
discovered.
disc
British
/ dɪsk /
noun
-
a flat circular plate
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something resembling or appearing to resemble this
the sun's disc
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another word for (gramophone) record
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anatomy any approximately circular flat structure in the body, esp an intervertebral disc
-
-
the flat receptacle of composite flowers, such as the daisy
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( as modifier )
a disc floret
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the middle part of the lip of an orchid
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-
Also called: parking disc. a marker or device for display in a parked vehicle showing the time of arrival or the latest permitted time of departure or both
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( as modifier )
a disc zone
disc parking
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-
computing a variant spelling of disk
verb
Etymology
Origin of disc
see origin at disk
Explanation
A disc is an object that's round and flat. It might be a toy that you throw, like a Frisbee, or it might be a compact disc with digitally encoded music. Disc is often used interchangeably with disk. A disc galaxy, or disk galaxy, is a vast collection of stars that appears flat and circular through a telescope. The discs, or disks, in your spine are circular pads of cartilage that cushion the vertebrae. But the disc spelling is more commonly used for a phonograph record on which music is inscribed and played back on a record player. And a disc jockey entertains people by playing recorded music, originally that which was recorded on discs.
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.
June, now 63, said her home office at the time had a dial-up modem, trading software downloaded from a compact disc and a dodgy internet connection.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Catsimatidis even hired one of WABC’s legendary disc jockeys, Bruce Morrow — known to millions of baby boomers as Cousin Brucie.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Pressed as a 78 rpm disc, it featured songs like The Good Ship Victory and There Comes a Time.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
The film, released in 1983 and now available on a Criterion Collection disc in a new 4K restoration, solemnly depicts the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Inside, a round disc that seemed to be covered with letters swung gently as he moved the box.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
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.
