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Definitions

detect

[dih-tekt] / dɪˈtɛkt /


Usage

What are other ways to say detect?

To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning. To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. The verb discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before. 

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:

Animals with particularly sensitive vision may be able to detect the green and cyan fluorescence even when it is extremely faint.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

But RSI can detect subtle changes in behavior that may not be so apparent when just watching price movements.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

State leaders say they have used their own resources to shore up gaps left by CISA, such as paying for sensor technology that can detect unusual activity in election networks.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

Early pancreatic cancer typically produces few noticeable symptoms, and the changes it causes in pancreatic tissue can be too subtle to detect through standard medical imaging.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

“I had the best seat in the house from which to detect boats,” he later explained, “if there were any.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

The system detects this change and automatically adjusts the laser to bring it back to the correct frequency.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

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

On its website, it advertises an antidrone package that detects and classifies incoming drones through artificial intelligence and engages them if hooked up to the right air-defense system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Her nose is always slightly elevated, as if she detects a foul smell.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

The use of the programme by individual states is voluntary, and from those who have used it recently the number of non-citizens detected has been small.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

The flights detected by AFP arrived as President Donald Trump has expanded military support for anti-cartel operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

"Any field that needs precise control of heat or needs to protect something from being detected thermally could benefit from this work," Zhang said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

Very recently, Goldman has detected a slight uptick in retail activity, a slight “buy the dip” default reaction to falling stocks, but overall this has not been enough to arrest the correction.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

The actual number is slightly contentious because the heavy, synthesized elements exist for only millionths of seconds and chemists sometimes argue over whether they have really been detected or not.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Between the two of them, I wasn’t exactly detecting decisiveness, but I turned out OK.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

This could reduce unnecessary follow-up observations while increasing the chances of detecting rare jet-launching episodes at crucial moments.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 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

His sole claim to fame during a lackluster tenure on the city council was detecting a bookkeeping error that would have cost the city a million dollars.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson


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