detects

verb

present tense third-person singular of detect
as in finds
to come upon after searching, study, or effort I can detect just a hint of lemon in the soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 detects No audio is stored or sent to the cloud unless the device detects the wake word. — John Higgins, The Verge, 11 Nov. 2026 Led by scientists at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, the team investigated a kind of bone cell that detects mechanical forces, known as osteocytes. — New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026 There may also be additional review fees if Google detects a store has a problem with malware. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026 Under the hood, there's a dual-core processor, a Bluetooth radio, and a sensor that detects whether your door is open or closed without an external magnet sensor. — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026 Wasson detects a lingering resentment in the poor Sicilian kid gazing up at the idle rich. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Inner Ear Changes Deep inside your inner ear is the vestibular system, a group of structures that detects changes in head movement and position. — Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2026 Debanking can also occur for legal and regulatory reasons, such as if a bank detects potentially fraudulent activity or an account is overdrawn. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Customs and Border Protection has previously contracted with Oritain for origin-testing services and with Exiger, a supply chain AI and risk management company whose technology detects illicit transshipment. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detects
  1. finds
  2. discovers
  3. learns
  4. locates
Verb
  • However recognizable the structures may be—isolated phrases giving way to longform improvisation—the performance finds Taylor in a transitional period, one in which the ephemerality of the moment pushed its musicians to bold new places.
    — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The survey finds that the Democratic candidates running in Michigan, Texas, Maine, Ohio, and Kansas are ahead of their Republican counterparts by 11, 7, 6, 5, and 5 percentage points, respectively.
    — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of finds
Verb
  • His Peter starts as a congenial cokehead and then discovers a new outlook on life, all thanks to fatherhood.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026
  • In Munro’s story, a woman, who discovers a lump in her breast, avoids her health anxieties by fixating on a crypt in the countryside and learning about the history of southern Ontario.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of discovers
Verb
  • Humanoid learns factory Gallop’s initial assignment involves packing 15 different motherboard accessories, many of which are small, thin, and enclosed in transparent plastic bags.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Bernardeau knew of García Lorca much like anyone who learns about their home country’s foremost literary giants in school, but the life of Rafael perhaps eluded the textbooks.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of learns
Verb
  • Serhiy, like Zabuzhko, locates his captor’s impulse to torture him in the very pages written by the Russian novelist.
    — Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The Greeks offer another kind of striving, one that locates pleasure in the pursuit itself rather than in the prize.
    — Stacy Keltner, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of locates

Browse Nearby Words

detectors
detects
détente
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detects. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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