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
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 system can detect common violations such as riders without helmets, motorists crossing stop lines, and jaywalkers.
—
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Dec. 2025
The lenses can detect the movement of your eyes and instantly adjust for sharp focus.
—Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Dec. 2025
That goal is to help researchers detect scams, fake ads and coordinated influence campaigns.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Mission scientists also expect the telescope to detect more than 100,000 exoplanets by monitoring subtle gravitational lensing events, whereby a larger foreground object magnifies the light from a more distant source that cannot otherwise be observed directly.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detect
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Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Dec. 2025
The lenses can detect the movement of your eyes and instantly adjust for sharp focus.
—Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Dec. 2025
That goal is to help researchers detect scams, fake ads and coordinated influence campaigns.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Mission scientists also expect the telescope to detect more than 100,000 exoplanets by monitoring subtle gravitational lensing events, whereby a larger foreground object magnifies the light from a more distant source that cannot otherwise be observed directly.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detect
Cite this Entry
“Detect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detect. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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
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