detect
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:
Researchers there used biological accelerator spectrometry, or BioAMS, to detect radioactive markers at extremely small concentrations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Others carry the earth to a nearby seasonal river, where mostly women crouch in the murky water, washing and sifting mud and sand hoping to detect a tiny trace of the element.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
After Anthropic introduced its Mythos model this spring, which can detect cybersecurity flaws, some Chinese officials likened it to a nuclear weapon of the AI era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Examining individual cells allowed the researchers to detect sex specific genetic differences that earlier studies using bulk blood samples could not see.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
I wanted to tell her that I did have some small difficulty in distinguishing colors, but that I could detect odors very well.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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They used magnetoencephalography, a method that detects the faint magnetic fields produced when brain cells are active.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
When the camera detects a violation, it generates an evidence package, consisting of the date, time and location, as well as still images.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Despite the signs of AI fatigue, Wood detects no signs of flagging commitment from the hyperscalers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
If the robot detects a problem, such as a knee joint that stops responding, it will try to recover its balance; if it can’t, he said, it will collapse onto itself like an imploding building.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
As the brain detects a fall in blood temperature, it automatically protects itself by shutting down the blood supply to the hands and feet.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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The fire did prompt two shelter-in-place orders when the fire reached an ammonia line, but Los Angeles Fire Department officials and Lineage say no ammonia was detected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Once a drone was detected it was necessary to know "whether it was equipped with a camera or an explosive", she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Feet sensors detected when weight was lifted, motion sensors detected hip movement and upper-body sensors helped control movement.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Most little red dots at high redshift cannot be detected in X-ray light.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
I detected the vocabulary of Mrs. Willard and my heart sank.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
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So would accelerating the process of detecting and removing old munitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"It's detecting fraud if you change the price of something. It's detecting a counterfeit item for a second hand pair of Zara jeans."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
"We are significantly strengthening our ability to respond to hostile drones," German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the opening of the centre, which will focus on detecting and identifying unmanned aerial vehicles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
I’ve thought about whether AI could eventually play a role of a central banker, detecting bubbles or risk buildup that humans might miss.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Trivelino family vault rose above her, its emblem pulsing after detecting her presence.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Vocabulary lists containing detect
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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List 9
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