detect
verb (used with object)
to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act.
detected
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past participleof detect.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof detect.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
detectverb (used with object)to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act.
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.
Airports routinely shut down for hours at a time when drones are detected nearby, forcing flight delays and cancellations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
It did all this of its own volition, and without being detected for a good chunk of time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Between January and August this year, more than 210,000 hotspots were detected in peatland areas across the country, according to NGO Pantau Gambut.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
Harmful processes that either contribute to plaque accumulation or result from it may already be active in the brain even though the plaques themselves cannot yet be detected by scanning,
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
On closer examination, you detected something in his face that displeased, or rather that failed to please.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
