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:
Both observatories can detect infrared light, giving astronomers the ability to compare and combine their observations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
The manufacturers say the titanium-framed machines can be used to enter hostile territory covertly as they are more difficult to detect by radar or sound than traditional aircraft.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Lawmakers acknowledged that the legislation is just a start, and that it is increasingly difficult for public officials to detect bespoke letters, deepfake videos or other kinds of engagement powered by AI.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Don’t retail outlets already have cameras in their stores to detect and record theft?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Every police agency in the Western Hemisphere clamored that no test would detect its presence, in an instance of illegal entry here.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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As the hulking antenna swivels into action, screens inside the control room light up with the names of objects the radar system detects: stars, satellites and abandoned rocket bodies.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
These measurements can reflect how the nervous system detects and processes painful signals.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 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
My system detects we are getting closer and closer.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from July 2025 to June 2026.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Systems whose black holes have a combined mass greater than roughly a billion Suns make especially important contributions at the frequencies detected by PTAs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
In the first 21 days of this month, 152 vessels were detected.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Balaam said authorities also detected one “illegally flown drone” in the burn zone, posing a threat to the aerial firefight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Sometimes, in the days after a birth, I detected in her something of Judy’s heavy presence, in a forceful turn of her head, or the imperious arch of an eyebrow.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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By detecting extremely small differences in the gravitational pull of rock and ice, the researchers developed a new way to create a 3D image of the hidden ice within a large rock glacier.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Brazil is demanding that Discord implement stricter parental controls, cooperate more closely with the authorities and implement systems capable of detecting and preventing situations that put minors at risk.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Vietnamese authorities have historically proven effective at detecting and stifling dissent before it boils over into action.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Now, Double Chooz has added another first to its scientific record by detecting the faint neutrino glow that continues after a nuclear reactor goes dark.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Instead of allowing each officer to rely on his or her own limited experience and biases in detecting suspicious behavior, a drug-courier profile affords every officer the advantage of the agency’s collective experience and expertise.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Vocabulary lists containing detect
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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List 9
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