detect

[ dih-tekt ]
/ dɪˈtɛkt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR detect 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.
  1. to rectify alternating signal currents in a radio receiver.
  2. to demodulate.

QUIZZES

TAKE ROUND 2 OF OUR PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ!

Here is our second set of teacher-selected PSAT vocabulary words. Do you know the meanings of these terms?
Question 1 of 10
advocate
to give up possession or occupancy of.
to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly.
to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence.
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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

synonym study for detect

2. See learn.

OTHER WORDS FROM detect

Words nearby detect

detailer, detailing, detain, detainee, detainer, detect, detection, detective, detector, detectorist, detent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to detect

disclose, reveal, notice, recognize, expose, spot, distinguish, see, observe, identify, catch, uncover, find, encounter, unmask, note, espy, descry, ascertain, meet

Example sentences from the Web for detect

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