detect

verb de·tect \ di-ˈtekt , dē- \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: detect in a Sentence

Definition of detect

transitive verb

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

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detectability

play \-ˌtek-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

detectable

play \-ˈtek-tə-bəl\ adjective

See detect defined for English-language learners

See detect defined for kids

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 of detect from the Web

And as the Russian attacks continued, no one in the American government detected the larger pattern or Russia’s ambitions to affect the election.

— david e. sanger, New York Times, "Why Hackers Aren’t Afraid of Us," 16 June 2018
Shark season in New England officially kicked off this week, and marine biologists have already detected the first three great whites of the year off the coast of Cape Cod.

— elise takahama, BostonGlobe.com, "First three sharks of the season detected off the coast of Cape Cod," 15 June 2018
That July another team led by Pérez-Torres detected a bright source of radio waves from the same location.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "Giant Black Hole Swallows a Star and Belches Out a Superfast Particle Jet," 14 June 2018
Annual wellness visits and routine screenings can detect risk factors for chronic diseases or conditions, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Three reasons why young, healthy people want a primary care provider," 13 June 2018
In the central and eastern tropical Atlantic, researchers recently detected an increase in rapidly intensifying hurricane in recent decades.

— jason samenow, chicagotribune.com, "Bud becomes second straight Pacific storm to explode into a major hurricane," 11 June 2018
The computer detects a crash signal, issues a command to inflate the air bags and prepares seat belts for a crash if necessary.

— tom krisher, USA TODAY, "Kia recalls more than 500,000 vehicles over concerns that air bags may not inflate," 11 June 2018
Under a typical engagement, a E-2D Advanced Hawkeye flying ahead of the fleet could detect a swarm of incoming anti-ship cruise missiles.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "What Is the Navy’s Secret 'Sea Dragon' Weapon?," 11 June 2018
Methane in the martian atmosphere has been detected before, but only in isolated patches or plumes of higher concentrations, not in any repeatable pattern.

— william harwood, CBS News, "NASA's Curiosity rover finds potential building blocks of life on Mars," 8 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.

Origin and Etymology of detect

Middle English, from Latin detectus, past participle of detegere to uncover, detect, from de- + tegere to cover — more at thatch

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First Known Use: 1574

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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detect Synonyms

DETECT Defined for English Language Learners

detect

verb

Definition of detect for English Language Learners

: to discover or notice the presence of (something that is hidden or hard to see, hear, taste, etc.)

DETECT Defined for Kids

detect

verb de·tect \ di-ˈtekt \

Definition of detect for Students

detected; detecting

: to learn that something or someone is or was there

detect smoke

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detector

\-ˈtek-tər\ noun

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See words that rhyme with detect Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for detect Spanish Central: Translation of detect Nglish: Translation of detect for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of detect for Arabic speakers

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detect

Definition of detect

detectability

detectable

Examples of detect in a Sentence

Recent Examples of detect from the Web

Origin and Etymology of detect

detect Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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DETECT Defined for English Language Learners

detect

Definition of detect for English Language Learners

DETECT Defined for Kids

detect

Definition of detect for Students

detector

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