detect

verb

de·tect | \ di-ˈtekt

, dē-\

detected; detecting; detects

Definition of detect

1 : to discover the true character of detecting drug smugglers

2 : to discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of detect alcohol in the blood Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your voice?

3 : demodulate

intransitive verb

: to work as a detective

Other Words from detect Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about detect

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Other Words from detect

detectability \ -ˌtek-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

detectable \ -ˈtek-tə-bəl

\ adjective

Examples of detect in a Sentence

The test is used to detect the presence of alcohol in the blood. This type of cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages.

Recent Examples on the Web

The idea stemmed from the belief that the urinary tract (which includes the bladder) was understood to be sterile, most likely because the techniques used for detecting bacteria in this area were limited. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Is It Sanitary to Pee in the Shower or Should You Stop Immediately?," 7 Feb. 2019 The intrusion was detected in April by an NRCC vendor, who alerted the committee and its cybersecurity contractor. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Google’s appearance before Congress will mark a turning point for its CEO," 5 Dec. 2018 The effect was detected in both men and women, and did not depend on the subjects’ past criminal history, if any. — Ian Haydon, Philly.com, "Could a therapy for brain damage also decrease violent impulses?," 2 July 2018 No malicious hardware was found in the audit, and no beacons or other network transmissions that would be indicative of a backdoor were detected in testing. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Audit: No Chinese surveillance implants in Supermicro boards found," 11 Dec. 2018 With that said, clinicians are discovering that BPD can be detected in children and adolescents. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "13 Facts Everyone Should Know About Borderline Personality Disorder," 5 Dec. 2018 In fact, according to a press release, the Medipix was developed from technology created by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), used to detect particles in its Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest particle accelerator. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Check Out These Awesome New 3D, Full-Color X-Rays," 13 July 2018 In 2004, emergency physician Dr. Richard Garcia published an essay describing how his childhood friend Lela, who is black, was not diagnosed with cystic fibrosis — a disease usually detected in the first 6 months of life — until the age of 8. — Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, "You can’t tell a book by its cover — or a disease by Drake’s race," 11 July 2018 The device, which would resemble a radar gun, would be able to detect the chemicals in small amounts, even in as little a concentration as 0.1 percent of the air, Vasu said. — Marco Santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF researcher gets $1 million grant to help protect emergency personnel from opioids," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.