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.
The findings suggest that future surveys, which will examine large numbers of exoplanets, could use statistical techniques to detect life across entire populations of planets.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
That was a fake trail, said Lloyd’s List analysts who comb through data along with advanced analytics and human intelligence to detect spoofing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
How to detect AI-composed text—and whether humans or software can tell the difference—is a subject of academic debate.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
The companies announced a program that will use Waymo’s self-driving cars to better detect potholes in the city.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
“The water of life? Do I detect a Scottish burr? Any other languages besides German?”
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Vocabulary lists containing detect
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
NAEP Test Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 9
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
