as in finding
to come upon after searching, study, or effort
I can detect just a hint of lemon in the soup
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Recent Examples of detecting
In that case, investigators say the cloud storage company Dropbox submitted a tip in January 2025 after detecting that a user in Maplewood was uploading child pornography.
—
Conor Wight, CBS News, 8 May 2026
After their initial findings, the Sheriff’s Office asked for additional data and academic research to support their new method for detecting remains using soil vapor.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Even when cancer is found -- about 1 to 2 out of every 100 people -- the JAMA piece points out that there is no evidence that detecting it this way helps people live longer.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
But without a signal, the IDF is unable to electronically interfere with the control of fiber-optic drones and also faces a greater challenge in detecting the incoming projectile in the first place.
—Charbel Mallo, CNN Money, 3 May 2026
From our perspective, detecting such a signal would require monitoring many stars—but if even a single nearby civilization were actively communicating, its signal should stand out in existing data.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
Targeting the right locations could also improve the chances of detecting signs of past life.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 1 May 2026
In addition, researchers are using synthetic biology to design organisms capable of detecting and breaking down environmental pollutants, offering new tools for bioremediation.
—André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
How Talley had access to the gun after being in the custody of officers and subject to a metal-detecting search by hospital personnel remains mysterious.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Conor Wight, CBS News, 8 May 2026
After their initial findings, the Sheriff’s Office asked for additional data and academic research to support their new method for detecting remains using soil vapor.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Even when cancer is found -- about 1 to 2 out of every 100 people -- the JAMA piece points out that there is no evidence that detecting it this way helps people live longer.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
But without a signal, the IDF is unable to electronically interfere with the control of fiber-optic drones and also faces a greater challenge in detecting the incoming projectile in the first place.
—Charbel Mallo, CNN Money, 3 May 2026
From our perspective, detecting such a signal would require monitoring many stars—but if even a single nearby civilization were actively communicating, its signal should stand out in existing data.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
Targeting the right locations could also improve the chances of detecting signs of past life.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 1 May 2026
In addition, researchers are using synthetic biology to design organisms capable of detecting and breaking down environmental pollutants, offering new tools for bioremediation.
—André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
How Talley had access to the gun after being in the custody of officers and subject to a metal-detecting search by hospital personnel remains mysterious.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detecting
Verb
-
This is about finding a better balance.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
The amount of debris caused the delay in finding the second body.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Courses now need to be equivalent to one another, so that a student at one school will be learning something similar to a student at a different school.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Once the set was built, anchors, producers, directors and photographers spent weeks rehearsing and learning how to navigate the virtual environment.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
But in the wake of discovering the hantavirus aboard the Hondius, health officials and infectious disease experts have been quick—and virtually unanimous—in trying to quell fears.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
-
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Verb
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San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow previously said his office remains committed to locating Smart’s remains, adding that authorities will continue using every lawful tool available to bring answers to her family.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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Yet to the researchers’ surprise, the aye-ayes had no problem locating the target areas.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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This housing push doesn’t have to do with the construction of new housing as much as getting tenants in the door, which might seem like an odd issue to have in a city with as acute of a housing demand as New York.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Short but sweet Jacksonville took advantage of perhaps the most famous offseason haircut with quarterback Trevor Lawrence getting his long locks cut short on camera after introducing the Jaguars’ schedule that then plays out on the screen edited down to less than 2 minutes.—
Teresa M. Walker,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detecting. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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