detecting

verb

present participle of detect
as in finding
to come upon after searching, study, or effort I can detect just a hint of lemon in the soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detecting Such videos implied that the Trophy system had difficulty detecting incoming small drones. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026 The system can pull this off by detecting changes in the radio frequency signal between the connected devices and the eligible Xfinity Gateway, which also acts as Wi-Fi router. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Aug. 2026 But detecting activity does not tell you what that activity means. — Kelly Hopping, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Zhang Heng’s seismoscope Chinese polymath Zhang Heng created his earthquake-detecting instrument in 132 CE. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026 Initial information from the alarm company mentioned sensors detecting motion. — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026 In other words, the priority among agent-detecting organisms of many kinds seems to be to separate those forces of change that are alive from those that are non-living. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 That means investing in pan-filovirus diagnostics capable of detecting every pathogenic Ebola virus species. — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026 Even modern laboratory methods have trouble reliably detecting low levels of oocysts, which can still cause disease. — Joan Rose, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detecting
  1. finding
  2. learning
  3. discovering
  4. locating
  5. getting
Verb
  • The Mexican navy searched a vast area of the Pacific Ocean by sea and air, eventually finding the two men floating in a large fishing cooler about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas, a southern state in Mexico that borders Guatemala.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Officers reported allegedly finding live ammunition hidden in a sock in her dresser, a digital scale, more than 100 plastic baggies, text messages appearing to show drug sales, and $4,121 in cash.
    — Julie Watts August 20, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of finding
Verb
  • Many of the experiences are suitable for older children, from riding to learning how to look after sheep for the day, accompanied by a local shepherd.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But for educators, there is a growing consensus that AI literacy is about more than learning how to use generative AI and write good prompts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of learning
Verb
  • That coordination gives everyone time to confirm eligibility on the new stock, model the holding-period math and put the election deadline on the calendar rather than discovering it after the fact.
    — Sharon Olson, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The greater risk is losing access to one difficult-to-replace material and discovering that an entire factory, grid project or defense program cannot proceed without it.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of discovering
Verb
  • The next day, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page asking for help locating Nikki.
    — Francie Ebert, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation initially contacted Roswell police and asked for assistance locating and apprehending Spruill.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of locating
Verb
  • In a desperate attempt to avoid getting their fingers caught in the cookie jar, there is a pell-mell sprint toward finding a watermark removal app that can yank out the digital watermarks.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The administration has almost always characterized Iran never getting a nuclear weapon as the overriding concern.
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of getting

Browse Nearby Words

detected
detecting
detection
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detecting. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on detecting

Nglish: Translation of detecting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All