detect
Americanverb (used with object)
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detects,
present (3rd person singular)
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detected,
past participle, past
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detecting
present participle
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to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act.
to detect someone cheating.
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to discover the existence of.
to detect the odor of gas.
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to find out the true character or activity of.
to detect a spy.
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Telecommunications.
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to rectify alternating signal currents in a radio receiver.
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to demodulate.
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verb
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to perceive or notice
to detect a note of sarcasm
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to discover the existence or presence of (esp something likely to elude observation)
to detect alcohol in the blood
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to extract information from (an electromagnetic wave)
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obsolete to reveal or expose (a crime, criminal, etc)
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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detectabilitynoun
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detecternoun
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detectibilitynoun
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predetectverb (used with object)
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detectableadjective
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detectibleadjective
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undetectableadjective
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undetectedadjective
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undetectibleadjective
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undetectablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detectsimple
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detectssimple
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have detectedperfect
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has detectedperfect
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am detectingprogressive
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are detectingprogressive
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is detectingprogressive
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have been detectingperfect progressive
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has been detectingperfect progressive
Past
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detectedsimple
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had detectedperfect
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was detectingprogressive
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were detectingprogressive
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had been detectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of detect
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin dētēctus “discovered,” past participle of dētegere “to uncover, discover,” from dē- de- + tegere “to cover”; see also thatch
Explanation
The verb detect means to discover or observe the existence of something. If you walk into your house and detect the odor of burnt food, you can deduce from the evidence that you will be going out to dinner tonight! The verb detect comes from the Latin word detegere, which literally means "to uncover" — or more figuratively, to discover. You may detect the presence of a new dog in your house if you note a water bowl, chew toys, and grooming tools. Of course, the large woofing beast that greeted you at the door with a wagging tail might be a big clue as well.
Vocabulary lists containing detect
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List 9
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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:
“If that is what happened here, the critical question is why authentication safeguards, access restrictions, and monitoring systems failed to detect and stop the unauthorized activity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Millions of voters have also been flagged for additional scrutiny after the ECI used automated systems to detect what they described as "logical discrepancies", including mismatched names and inconsistencies in family details.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
These tiny probes can detect activity from many nerve cells simultaneously, providing a detailed picture of how groups of neurons respond to information.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
As aging sewer networks struggle with growing populations and changing weather patterns, a team of engineers and professors in Europe is developing a robot designed to detect and potentially address problems before disaster strikes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The tone of that entry seems lofty, high-minded, but in it I detect a whiff of fatalism.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
The 82-year-old is the brains behind the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a telescope embedded in a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice that detects neutrinos -- particles with almost no mass that seldom interact with other matter.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Belgian physicist Prof Francis Halzen has won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on an observatory that detects particles from space, shedding light on the distant universe.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Pilgrim has raised $25 million and has developed a 50-pound device that detects biological threats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“There is no evidence that any multi-cancer detection testing prevents cancer, consistently detects it at an earlier stage, or reduces cancer-associated mortality,” two researchers wrote in the Lancet this week.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
My system detects the red and brown pigments as it does a cursory scan.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Although the disease has not been detected in the United Kingdom, climate change could eventually create conditions that allow it to threaten cereal production in northern Europe.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
He then managed to travel through Uganda to Kenya - and was again not detected at airports screenings.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
She then considered a frightening explanation when her mother detected a funny taste to the water she kept in a bottle at her desk at Berkeley Engineering and Research.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
He said the nodule was detected at “a very early stage” and that his doctors had recommended surgery to remove it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
As Roz stood in the rain, staring down at those poor, lifeless geese, her sensitive ears detected a faint peeping sound coming from somewhere nearby.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
This suggested that the hippocampus was responding to meaningful features of language rather than simply detecting that sounds were occurring.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
"The two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident to the city is unacceptable."
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
"The two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident to the City is unacceptable," the department said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
One of its tasks will be detecting micrometeoroids, tiny pieces of space debris that strike the lunar surface.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
And I did detecting by watching and I saw that people were putting tickets into gray gates and walking through.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
