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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:

Those vehicles can’t detect when a third-party system has taken control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The Su‑35, he noted, is equipped for both air‑to‑air and air‑to‑ground combat, with the ability to detect and neutralize incoming cruise missiles at distances of up to 200 kilometers.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

The researchers now hope to identify the specific molecular sensor that enables T cells to detect their physical environment.

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

However, though scientists can detect black holes, they still haven’t spotted the zeros at their centers, since the ugly singularities are shielded by the event horizon.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The LZB system tracks train positions and automatically applies the brakes if it detects any anomalies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 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

“There is no evidence that any multi-cancer detection testing prevents cancer, consistently detects it at an earlier stage, or reduces cancer-associated mortality,” two researchers wrote in the Lancet this week.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The limbic system is the part of the brain that detects things in the environment that we should pay attention to and sends an emotional signal about what to do in response: Avoid!

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Hotspots of Barbastelle activity detected in the survey were concentrated across the South West.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The prevalence of CTE in college, high school and youth tackle football players is a growing concern even though data is sparse because the disease can’t be detected until death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Scientists have also observed its ice flowing increasingly quickly, but traditional computer models have struggled to reproduce the acceleration detected by satellites.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

Cases have likewise been detected in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, with the World Health Organization warning that Africa faces a "complex" task to contain an outbreak spanning the east, west and centre of the continent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Jinx detected a note of personal injury in Ned’s voice.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

The findings point to disruptions in the molecular signals responsible for detecting certain flavors, along with physical abnormalities in the structure of taste buds.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 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

Nyla is watching me, and I wonder if she has some secret skill of detecting lies.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera


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