detail

American  

[dih-tayl, dee-tayl, dih-tayl, dee-tayl] / dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi teɪl, dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi teɪl /

noun

• details
  plural

1. 

   an individual or minute part; an item or particular.

2. particulars collectively; minutiae.

3. attention to or treatment of a subject in individual or minute parts.

   to postpone detail and concentrate on a subject as a whole.

4. intricate, finely wrought decoration.

5. Engineering. detail drawing.

6. any small section of a larger structure or whole, considered as a unit.

7. Military.

   1. an appointment or assignment, as of a small group or an officer, for a special task.

   2. the party or person so selected.

      the kitchen detail.

   3. a particular assignment of duty.

8. the property of an image or of a method of image production to make small, closely spaced image elements individually distinguishable.

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verb (used with object)

• details,
  present (3rd person singular)
• detailed,
  past participle,  past
• detailing
  present participle

1. to relate or report with complete particulars; tell fully and distinctly.

2. to mention one by one; specify; list.

   He detailed the events leading up to the robbery.

   Synonyms:

   catalog, enumerate, itemize

3. Military. to appoint or assign for some particular duty.

   We were detailed to patrol the border.

4. to provide with intricate, finely wrought decoration.

   lingerie detailed with lace and embroidery.

5. 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

1. in detail, item by item; with particulars.

   The résumé stated his qualifications in detail.

detail British  

/ ˈdiːteɪl /

noun

1. an item or smaller part that is considered separately; particular

2. an item or circumstance that is insignificant or unimportant

   passengers' comfort was regarded as a detail

3. treatment of or attention to items or particulars

   this essay includes too much detail

4. items collectively; particulars

5. a small or accessory section or element in a painting, building, statue, etc, esp when considered in isolation

6. military

   1. the act of assigning personnel for a specific duty, esp a fatigue

   2. the personnel selected

   3. the duty or assignment

7. to include all or most particulars

8. including all or most particulars or items thoroughly

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verb

1. to list or relate fully

2. military to select (personnel) for a specific duty

3. to decorate or elaborate (carving, etc) with fine delicate drawing or designs

detail More Idioms  

1. see in detail.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predetail
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• details
  plural

Participles

• detailing
  present
• detailed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• detail
  simple
• details
  simple
• have detailed
  perfect
• has detailed
  perfect
• am detailing
  progressive
• are detailing
  progressive
• is detailing
  progressive
• have been detailing
  perfect progressive
• has been detailing
  perfect progressive

Past

• detailed
  simple
• had detailed
  perfect
• was detailing
  progressive
• were detailing
  progressive
• had been detailing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will detail
  simple
• will have detailed
  perfect
• will be detailing
  progressive
• will have been detailing
  perfect progressive

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

detail details detailed detailing

The judges said they had compared the opening episode scripts for the two shows and found sufficient similarities in plot, themes, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters, graphic injury detail and sequence of events.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

“That’s when you’re most powerful: when you assume office with an agenda, so hopefully he’ll detail that within days of being elected.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

The affidavit describes, in painstaking detail, the FBI’s investigation of the former president’s son, the defendants’ involvement in that investigation, and the defendants’ various interactions with congressional committees.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

The enhanced accelerator will allow scientists to collect substantially more collision data and investigate the properties of quark–gluon plasma in greater detail.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Still, for the next few minutes, I try to take in every little detail.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Macau's authorities never publicly disclosed the details of the case.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Mysteries are the hardest, because seemingly unimportant details end up being crucial.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

“We’re still looking at the possibility of some rain the following weekend,” Thompson said, but details are iffy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

And because so much of the prep was already done, I could spend my time on the little details that made the meal feel special.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

What if they could get someone close to the Fox family to confess details of a hoax?

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The 1992 Indo-Japanese animated film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama brought the tale to life through richly detailed, hand-drawn animation.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The report also detailed ways in which Combs was allegedly living it up on the inside and receiving massages and special meals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Although the researchers used detailed school information to calculate changes in 14 states, their nationwide estimate required broader assumptions.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

McDonald’s detailed the plans as it works to overhaul its menu, declutter its value offerings and hold on to customers who are juggling higher costs of living and have shied away from dining out.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 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

A letter delivered to the Metropolitan Police and later passed on to the Duchess of Sussex detailing allegations about her father Thomas Markle feature on many of the front pages.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

In addition to detailing his love of shopping, he got very specific.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

PSA sent a letter to affected cards owners, detailing the steps taken to make the owners whole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

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

Records of a volcano’s history are a bare minimum Rocky Crandell and Don Mullineaux had done an excellent job detailing how Mount St. Helens behaved in previous eruptions.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

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Related Words

• analyze
• delineate
• depict
• describe
• enumerate
• lay out
• portray
• recount
• relate
• reveal
• set forth
• spell out
• stipulate
• summarize
• tell
• uncover

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