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
In particular, the JWST detected grains of quartz crystals in the Butterfly's dusty torus.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Chronic wasting disease has been detected in wild deer in Ballard County and in a captive deer in Breckinridge County, according to the state.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
The boat had been detected by a maritime patrol aircraft, and that interdiction resulted in the seizure of more than 1,615 pounds of marijuana.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The core intellectual property that FNN has commercialized is the High Risk Lightning Detector which detects these current profiles over a 20 mile radius and within 40 seconds of the strike.
—Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detect
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Chronic wasting disease has been detected in wild deer in Ballard County and in a captive deer in Breckinridge County, according to the state.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
The boat had been detected by a maritime patrol aircraft, and that interdiction resulted in the seizure of more than 1,615 pounds of marijuana.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The core intellectual property that FNN has commercialized is the High Risk Lightning Detector which detects these current profiles over a 20 mile radius and within 40 seconds of the strike.
—Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 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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