detect
Americanverb (used with object)
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to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act.
to detect someone cheating.
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to discover the existence of.
to detect the odor of gas.
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to find out the true character or activity of.
to detect a spy.
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Telecommunications.
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to rectify alternating signal currents in a radio receiver.
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to demodulate.
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verb
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to perceive or notice
to detect a note of sarcasm
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to discover the existence or presence of (esp something likely to elude observation)
to detect alcohol in the blood
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to extract information from (an electromagnetic wave)
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obsolete to reveal or expose (a crime, criminal, etc)
Usage
What are other ways to say detect?
To detect is to discover something hidden or unknown. When should you use detect over learn, discover, or ascertain? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- detectability noun
- detectable adjective
- detecter noun
- detectibility noun
- detectible adjective
- predetect verb (used with object)
- undetectable adjective
- undetectably adverb
- undetected adjective
- undetectible adjective
Etymology
Origin of detect
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin dētēctus “discovered,” past participle of dētegere “to uncover, discover,” from dē- de- + tegere “to cover”; thatch
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.
This sophisticated form of Raman spectroscopy uses a laser to detect the unique chemical fingerprints of molecules within tissue.
From Science Daily
Researchers also detected rare inclusions of lechatelierite, a high temperature glassy silica that forms during extreme heating, further confirming an impact origin.
From Science Daily
To measure that speed, astronomers typically need to detect light from the merger or identify the galaxy where it occurred.
From Science Daily
Faint signals of resistance can be detected from unlikely quarters.
From Salon
In Israel, sirens were heard across the country after the Israeli military said it had detected an incoming Iranian missile barrage.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
