detected; detecting; detects
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
: to work as a detective
Synonyms
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
Each light can detect people up to 26 feet away within an angle of 120 degrees, and adds another layer of security to your front door, yard, garage, or deck.
—
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2024
President’s campaign strategy highly visible, his challenger’s difficult to detect
With seven months to go until the presidential election, the voter outreach strategies between the Biden-Harris and Trump campaigns in Nevada are looking different.
—Jessica Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal (tns), arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
Mammograms detect four out of five types of breast cancer, but Munn's fell in the 20% missed.
—Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City planned to test technology that would detect guns on the subway.
—Chelsia Rose Marcius, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
When these jets are pointed toward Earth, telescopes like Swift will detect a gamma-ray burst.
—Amy Lien, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
In most cases, a radiologist can detect a concerning pattern.
—Lauryn Higgins, Health, 19 Apr. 2024
The instrument had detected telltale signatures of ancient amino acids in eggshell.
—Evan Thomas Saitta, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in a range of mammals over the last few years, but this is the first time it has been found in cattle, according to federal health and animal agencies.
—Jonel Aleccia, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2024
President’s campaign strategy highly visible, his challenger’s difficult to detect
With seven months to go until the presidential election, the voter outreach strategies between the Biden-Harris and Trump campaigns in Nevada are looking different.
—Jessica Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal (tns), arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
Mammograms detect four out of five types of breast cancer, but Munn's fell in the 20% missed.
—Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City planned to test technology that would detect guns on the subway.
—Chelsia Rose Marcius, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
When these jets are pointed toward Earth, telescopes like Swift will detect a gamma-ray burst.
—Amy Lien, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
In most cases, a radiologist can detect a concerning pattern.
—Lauryn Higgins, Health, 19 Apr. 2024
The instrument had detected telltale signatures of ancient amino acids in eggshell.
—Evan Thomas Saitta, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in a range of mammals over the last few years, but this is the first time it has been found in cattle, according to federal health and animal agencies.
—Jonel Aleccia, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'detect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near detect
Cite this Entry
“Detect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detect. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detect
verb
de·tect
di-ˈtekt 
: to discover the nature, existence, presence, or fact of
detect the approach of an airplane
detection
noun
-ˈtek-shən
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share