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
How an aircraft loss is detected The crash of a military aircraft can be detected by loss of radio communication and radar contact or by visual verification by nearby aircraft.
—
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Installing strong antivirus software on your devices can also help block malicious links, detect suspicious downloads and warn you about dangerous websites.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026
One useful outcome of this research and its findings is the fact that millisecond pulsars should be easier to detect than astronomers had previously theorized.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
As a result, gravitational radiation is much weaker in magnitude compared to electromagnetic radiation, and much harder to detect.
—Big Think, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detect
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Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Installing strong antivirus software on your devices can also help block malicious links, detect suspicious downloads and warn you about dangerous websites.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026
One useful outcome of this research and its findings is the fact that millisecond pulsars should be easier to detect than astronomers had previously theorized.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
As a result, gravitational radiation is much weaker in magnitude compared to electromagnetic radiation, and much harder to detect.
—Big Think, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detect
Cite this Entry
“Detect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detect. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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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