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 Researchers at The Ohio State University and Zhejiang Laboratory in China have created a system that detects an odor in one place and reproduces a corresponding scent somewhere else. — New Atlas, 1 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 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 Experts note that Italy’s extensive monitoring network, which tracks mosquitoes, birds, blood donors and human infections, also helps explain why the country detects so many cases. — Giada Zampano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 Separate area for the microphone or sensor that detects the sound of the bark. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 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
  • There’s non-kaiju human death, too, including a flashback to the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing in which a bloodied grandfather discovers the charred remains of his daughter and grandson.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The film follows a desperate mother who discovers an obscure collagen supplement that promises to transform her tween gymnast daughter into an influencer.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of discovers
Verb
  • In it, a young kid traverses New Orleans to fish, goes door to door selling his game, and learns how to drive, among other things.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Building visual components and rules for your own industry is one thing, but defining these in a way that learns and grows with a user’s own visual language is more nuanced and complex.
    — Elias Stahl, Forbes.com, 5 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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