detergent
Americannoun
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detergents
plural
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any of a group of synthetic, organic, liquid or water-soluble cleaning agents that, unlike soap, are not prepared from fats and oils, are not inactivated by hard water, and have wetting-agent and emulsifying-agent properties.
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a similar substance that is oil-soluble and capable of holding insoluble foreign matter in suspension, used in lubricating oils, dry-cleaning preparations, etc.
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any cleansing agent, including soap.
adjective
noun
adjective
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A cleaning agent that increases the ability of water to penetrate fabric and break down greases and dirt. Detergents act like soap but, unlike soaps, they are derived from organic acids rather than fatty acids. Their molecules surround particles of grease and dirt, allowing them to be carried away.
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Compare soap
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of detergent
First recorded in 1610–20; from French or directly from Latin dētergent- (stem of dētergēns, present participle of dētergēre ) “to wipe off”); see origin at deterge, -ent
Explanation
Detergent is a substance that's used for cleaning. Detergent is similar to soap, but it's stronger and dissolves more completely in water. Detergents are special, powerful cleansers that can break up dirt, oils, and grease in clothing or on dishes. You might buy laundry detergent for washing your dirty clothes and dish detergent for the sink full of plates and bowls after your dinner party. The Latin root of detergent is detergere, "to wipe away or cleanse."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And even as algae consumes that phosphorus, it is being topped up in the water by agriculture, wastewater, un-maintained septic tanks, industry and every household in the catchment that puts phosphorus-containing detergent into the system.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
A box of Tide evo can cost almost twice as much as a tub of Tide pods, and can be far more expensive than store-brand liquid detergent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
So when one of the company’s top research-and-development executives and its scientists took their latest concoction—a detergent “tile” called Tide evo—to its fabric-care sales and marketing team, there was plenty of skepticism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Tide evo tile is a flexible 3-inch white square made of detergent fibers, which can be pricier than other formats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
She liked detergent commercials especially, anything with animated scrubbing bubbles or avenging suds.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
This includes whether contaminated clothing could transfer lead to other items in the wash and how detergents interact with the chemical.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026
He then started his career in marketing at consumer-goods conglomerates, working on brands from detergents to dairy products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
The medical profession successfully argued for an exemption from the wet wipe ban, arguing that non-plastic wipes absorb too much of the detergents and disinfectants impregnated in them, with potential consequences for patient safety.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
The colorless gas is also used to make chemicals found in products such as antifreeze, detergents, plastics and adhesives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2025
Water pollution experts throughout the United States are concerned by the fact that detergents are now a troublesome and practically universal contaminant of public water supplies.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
