detail
Americannoun
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details
plural
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an individual or minute part; an item or particular.
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particulars collectively; minutiae.
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attention to or treatment of a subject in individual or minute parts.
to postpone detail and concentrate on a subject as a whole.
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intricate, finely wrought decoration.
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Engineering. detail drawing.
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any small section of a larger structure or whole, considered as a unit.
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Military.
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an appointment or assignment, as of a small group or an officer, for a special task.
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the party or person so selected.
the kitchen detail.
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a particular assignment of duty.
-
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the property of an image or of a method of image production to make small, closely spaced image elements individually distinguishable.
verb (used with object)
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details,
present (3rd person singular)
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detailed,
past participle, past
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detailing
present participle
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to relate or report with complete particulars; tell fully and distinctly.
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to mention one by one; specify; list.
He detailed the events leading up to the robbery.
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Military. to appoint or assign for some particular duty.
We were detailed to patrol the border.
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to provide with intricate, finely wrought decoration.
lingerie detailed with lace and embroidery.
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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
noun
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an item or smaller part that is considered separately; particular
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an item or circumstance that is insignificant or unimportant
passengers' comfort was regarded as a detail
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treatment of or attention to items or particulars
this essay includes too much detail
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items collectively; particulars
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a small or accessory section or element in a painting, building, statue, etc, esp when considered in isolation
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military
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the act of assigning personnel for a specific duty, esp a fatigue
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the personnel selected
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the duty or assignment
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to include all or most particulars
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including all or most particulars or items thoroughly
verb
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to list or relate fully
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military to select (personnel) for a specific duty
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to decorate or elaborate (carving, etc) with fine delicate drawing or designs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detailsimple
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detailssimple
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have detailedperfect
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has detailedperfect
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am detailingprogressive
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are detailingprogressive
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is detailingprogressive
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have been detailingperfect progressive
-
has been detailingperfect progressive
Past
-
detailedsimple
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had detailedperfect
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was detailingprogressive
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were detailingprogressive
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had been detailingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing detail
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 3
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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:
He says it was "extremely important" for the film to stay faithful to the series, describing it as "a movie made by fans for fans", who can expect "meticulous" attention to detail.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
When the Americans reached Weimar in April, Weirich was ordered to march through the hellish debris of Buchenwald to clear up the camp on a work detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the federal list of names lacks the detail and function to be of any investigative use.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
They said while the raised guidance is encouraging, investors will likely be disappointed by a lack of detail on 2027 outlook and a quantitative update for how it intends to increase capacity in 2028.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Likely they do. She mentioned some sisters but never went into any great detail, not even whether they knew of her troubles. She may have run away before they found out.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from episode six of The Celebrity Traitors, series two.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Authorities have not yet offered details regarding motive or any connection to the school.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Buschatzke said Arizona is “strongly committed” to this deal and is in talks to finalize the details.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Whether you already have an account or are considering signing up for one, Laura Saunders outlines the key details.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“You don’t need to make that so complicated, you know. I’ve told you that before,” Pops said, after watching me log the details of one of the canoes I rented out that day.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
One crucial capability: American surveillance can give a very detailed picture of Russian air defenses through the systems’ electromagnetic signatures, said Withington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Using biophysical techniques and crystallography, a method that allows scientists to determine the detailed three-dimensional structure of molecules, the team obtained a high-resolution view of how these plant receptors bind to fungal effectors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Powered by Nintendo's Switch 2 console, the remake features far richer environments, upgraded textures and more detailed character models.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Some detailed in the complaint include "how about external partners, where would they usually meet with OpenAI at" and "can you list today's meeting in this room".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
On their picnic table, he’d already laid out all our materials and drawn up detailed, realistic diagrams for Twig’s top two designs.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
The message from 1809 -- detailing French and allied troops' positions in two dozen lines of symbols, numbers and letters -- had lain ignored in an online academic archive.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
We found evidence that 28 cases were closed based on statements detailing the findings or indicating that no further steps would be taken.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
ProPublica and the Tribune sent Paxton a spreadsheet detailing travel for which there was no record that he was on state business and asked him to provide additional information if the trips were not personal.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Bryan quickly deleted the screenshots, but LaPaglia responded with several posts of her own, including what she claimed was a message from Bryan’s manager detailing potential terms of an NDA.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
A golden orrery consumed a massive table: the gilded model of the heavens detailing the locations of each Marvellian city and the Arcanum.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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