detected; detecting; detects
1
: to discover the true character of
detecting drug smugglers
2
: to discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
detect alcohol in the blood
Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your voice?
3
: to work as a detective
Examples of detect in a Sentence
The test is used to detect the presence of alcohol in the blood.
This type of cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages.
Recent Examples on the Web
Once cleaned, explore and profile the data to detect patterns, outliers and anomalies.
—
Ashar Samdani, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Selection would drive them toward having the sensory capacity to detect those bits and use them as camouflage.
—ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2025
The wildfire was first detected Tuesday around 9:45 a.m. in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township, some 90 miles south of Midtown Manhattan.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Even when the information is secure, it can be misused or manipulated in ways that are hard to detect.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detect
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Ashar Samdani, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Selection would drive them toward having the sensory capacity to detect those bits and use them as camouflage.
—ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2025
The wildfire was first detected Tuesday around 9:45 a.m. in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township, some 90 miles south of Midtown Manhattan.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Even when the information is secure, it can be misused or manipulated in ways that are hard to detect.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detect
Cite this Entry
“Detect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detect. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detect
verb
de·tect
di-ˈtekt 
: to discover the nature, existence, presence, or fact of
detect the approach of an airplane
detection
noun
-ˈtek-shən
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