detail

American  

[dih-teyl, dee-teyl, dih-teyl, dee-teyl] / dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi teɪl, dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi teɪl /

noun

1. an individual or minute part; an item or particular.

2. particulars collectively; minutiae.

3. attention to or treatment of a subject in individual or minute parts.

   to postpone detail and concentrate on a subject as a whole.

4. intricate, finely wrought decoration.

5. Engineering. detail drawing.

6. any small section of a larger structure or whole, considered as a unit.

7. Military.

   1. an appointment or assignment, as of a small group or an officer, for a special task.

   2. the party or person so selected.

      the kitchen detail.

   3. a particular assignment of duty.

8. the property of an image or of a method of image production to make small, closely spaced image elements individually distinguishable.

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verb (used with object)

details, present (3rd person singular) detailed, past participle, past detailing present participle

1. to relate or report with complete particulars; tell fully and distinctly.

2. to mention one by one; specify; list.

   He detailed the events leading up to the robbery.

   Synonyms:

   catalog, enumerate, itemize

3. Military. to appoint or assign for some particular duty.

   We were detailed to patrol the border.

4. to provide with intricate, finely wrought decoration.

   lingerie detailed with lace and embroidery.

5. to thoroughly clean (a vehicle or part of a vehicle) and do minor repairs to improve its appearance.

   We detail the wheels and chrome to remove the rust.

idioms

1. in detail, item by item; with particulars.

   The résumé stated his qualifications in detail.

detail British  

/ ˈdiːteɪl /

noun

1. an item or smaller part that is considered separately; particular

2. an item or circumstance that is insignificant or unimportant

   passengers' comfort was regarded as a detail

3. treatment of or attention to items or particulars

   this essay includes too much detail

4. items collectively; particulars

5. a small or accessory section or element in a painting, building, statue, etc, esp when considered in isolation

6. military

   1. the act of assigning personnel for a specific duty, esp a fatigue

   2. the personnel selected

   3. the duty or assignment

7. to include all or most particulars

8. including all or most particulars or items thoroughly

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verb

1. to list or relate fully

2. military to select (personnel) for a specific duty

3. to decorate or elaborate (carving, etc) with fine delicate drawing or designs

detail More Idioms  

1. see in detail.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predetail
  verb (used with object)

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has detailed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have detailed
  perfect
• has been detailing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are detailing
  progressive
• am detailing
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been detailing
  perfect progressive
• is detailing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• detailing
  participle
• details
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had detailed
  perfect
• was detailing
  progressive singular
• were detailing
  progressive plural
• had been detailing
  perfect progressive
• detailed
  simple
• detailed
  participle

Future

• will detail
  simple
• will have detailed
  perfect
• will be detailing
  progressive
• will have been detailing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of detail

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French détail, Old French, noun derivative of detailler “to cut in pieces,” equivalent to de- “away, apart , etc.” ( see dis- ¹) + tailler “to cut,” from unattested Vulgar Latin taliāre; see tailor ¹

Explanation

A detail is a small fact or spot in a larger entity. That ambiguous smile is just one detail of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Detail comes from the French for cutting into pieces, but in English we only use it to refer to the pieces. As a noun, detail means an isolated aspect of something larger. If you're painting a landscape, don't forget details like individual birds and trees. Detail can also mean a team of workers for a special task. If you go on a group camping trip, try for the food detail instead of the trash detail.

Example Sentences

But families need to understand one critical detail: These accounts transfer to the child at 18.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

The justice secretary added he could not go into detail on the case because it would "undermine the discussions that we're having with the Iranians".

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

A detail of a Columbian mammoth being restored inside the Fossil Lab.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

Augmenting the images is software that lets users identify and investigate targets in detail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

It was good-sized, but flat and with not much detail work.

From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• analyze
• delineate
• depict
• describe
• enumerate
• lay out
• portray
• recount
• relate
• reveal
• set forth
• spell out
• stipulate
• summarize
• tell
• uncover