detect

[ dih-tekt ]

/ dɪˈtɛkt /

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See synonyms for: detect / detected / detecting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act: to detect someone cheating.

to discover the existence of: to detect the odor of gas.

to find out the true character or activity of: to detect a spy.

Telecommunications.

to rectify alternating signal currents in a radio receiver.
to demodulate.

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

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Origin of detect

1400–50; late Middle English <Latin dētēctus (past participle of dētegere), equivalent to dē-de- + teg(ere) to cover + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM detect

de·tect·a·ble, de·tect·i·ble, adjectivede·tect·a·bil·i·ty, de·tect·i·bil·i·ty, nounpre·de·tect, verb (used with object)un·de·tect·a·ble, adjective

un·de·tect·a·bly, adverbun·de·tect·ed, adjectiveun·de·tect·i·ble, adjective

Words nearby detect

detailing, detain, detainee, detainer, detainment, detect, detection, detective, detector, detectorist, detent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say detect?

To detect is to discover something hidden or unknown. When should you use detect over learn, discover, or ascertain? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

How to use detect in a sentence

The Australian state of Victoria has entered a five-day coronavirus lockdown to curb a local outbreak of the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain.
Novak Djokovic’s five-set battle at Australian Open started with fans and ended without them|Matt Bonesteel|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
As the signal faded, some telescopes also detected fluctuations in the light.
Exploding neutron star proves to be energy standout of the cosmos|Lisa Grossman|February 12, 2021|Science News For Students
Now, by detecting the explosions’ infrared light, which penetrates dust better than visible light does, Caltech astronomer Kishalay De and his colleagues have estimated how often these outbursts occur in the Milky Way.
The number of Milky Way nova explosions per year has been pinned down|Ken Croswell|February 12, 2021|Science News
There might be many more, Nesbitt said, as only a small sample of all positive coronavirus tests are sequenced to detect variants.
South Africa and U.K. coronavirus variants detected in D.C.; Maryland to open third mass vaccination site|Erin Cox, Julie Zauzmer, Rachel Chason|February 11, 2021|Washington Post

They mutate and develop new strains, which makes it very difficult to detect them.
Among Latino immigrants, false vaccine claims are spreading as fast as the virus|Teo Armus|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
No one who lives in an American city requires a flashlight to detect the presence of immigrants or the challenges they face daily.
The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That could change, however, if ISIS obtained the knowledge to build hard-to-detect bombs.
U.S. Clams Up on Xmas Airline Bomb ‘Plot’|Shane Harris|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Testing methods can now detect HIV within ten days of infection.
The Outrageous Celibacy Requirement for Gay Blood Donors|Jay Michaelson|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The company is already brainstorming what it can detect next.
The Gluten Detecting Device You’ll Want to Own|DailyBurn|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is only one approved, working test that can detect whether or not Ebola is present in the blood.
This New Ebola Test Is As Easy As a Pregnancy Test, So Why Aren’t We Using It?|Abby Haglage|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet I think if we observe closely we shall detect traces of a spontaneous impulse towards self-adornment.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Tubercle bacilli are nearly always present, although animal inoculation may be necessary to detect them.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
It is frequently desirable to detect formalin, which is the most common preservative added to cow's milk.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Fetherston strained his eyes towards the horizon, but declared that he could detect nothing.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
This she had the wit to detect, as well as the incontrovertible fact that her youth and her chances were gone.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for detect

detect

/ (dɪˈtɛkt) /

verb (tr)

to perceive or noticeto detect a note of sarcasm

to discover the existence or presence of (esp something likely to elude observation)to detect alcohol in the blood

to extract information from (an electromagnetic wave)

obsolete to reveal or expose (a crime, criminal, etc)

Derived forms of detect

detectable or detectible, adjectivedetecter, noun

Word Origin for detect

C15: from Latin dētectus uncovered, from dētegere to uncover, from de- + tegere to cover

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

detect

Origin of detect

OTHER WORDS FROM detect

Words nearby detect

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say detect?

Words related to detect

How to use detect in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detect

Derived forms of detect

Word Origin for detect