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

James Jones, director of the White House Medical Unit, said that Trump’s physical is an accurate overall assessment of his health and not a comprehensive document with every treatment detail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

But Claire has gone through what happened to her, Jack and Paul, thousands of times, in incredibly intricate detail, with hundreds of different journalists.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Researchers used an innovative technique called 'transmission strings', developed by Bristol astrophysicists Dr. David Grant and Dr. Hannah Wakeford, to investigate the planet's atmospheric structure in unprecedented detail.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Duo also has a nanotexture finish, which reduces glare and helps hide the crease, a detail which analysts expect will matter to consumers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

She picked it up and turned it around, her eyes taking in every detail, every tiny stitch.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

I want to be there, waiting for brunch, with the reassuring knowledge that the restaurant is handling the details.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from episode six of The Celebrity Traitors, series two.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Many HSA owners digitize receipts to keep details straight, but a shoebox could also work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Safety concerns aside, investors appear to be dialing back their expectations for Anthropic’s IPO as new details about the company’s financials have emerged.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Though details of this gathering did not survive, one or more of the Fox sisters would have acted as mediums.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Matos detailed his list of priorities when he replaced Alan Sheehan at Swansea.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

One crucial capability: American surveillance can give a very detailed picture of Russian air defenses through the systems’ electromagnetic signatures, said Withington.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

An unusually detailed examination of an Alzheimer's patient's brain has revealed striking differences between regions where treatment successfully removed harmful amyloid plaques and areas where those plaques remained.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Monáe’s previous spooky looks have run the gamut from a Jim Carrey-inspired take on the Grinch to an incredibly detailed version of E.T.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

At New Delhi, he bought for $15 a peg-in travel chess set with a beautifully detailed design that was made of fragrant sandalwood—but he felt guilty about paying so little for it.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Many of the materials detailing and documenting the incident haven’t been released publicly by the Sheriff’s Department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 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

We found evidence that 28 cases were closed based on statements detailing the findings or indicating that no further steps would be taken.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Records detailing the purpose of Paxton’s visits to 36 states and 19 countries do not appear to exist in most cases.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

He’s laughing loudly now and rubbing his palms together, like a villain detailing his plans for world domination.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

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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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