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
Other astronomers followed up by looking through Rubin’s initial data and discovered that the observatory had also detected 3I/ATLAS, 10 days earlier.
—
Quanta Magazine, 15 May 2026
Recent conflicts has also demonstrated the difficulty in detecting and tracking Groups 1-3 drones.
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
Associated Press Key Facts The outbreak has sickened 246 people and killed 65 so far, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and preliminary lab results have reportedly detected Ebola in 13 of 20 samples tested.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
No square on the calendar is truly protected once the NFL detects people with time off, disposable income and access to nachos.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for detect
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Quanta Magazine, 15 May 2026
Recent conflicts has also demonstrated the difficulty in detecting and tracking Groups 1-3 drones.
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
Associated Press Key Facts The outbreak has sickened 246 people and killed 65 so far, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and preliminary lab results have reportedly detected Ebola in 13 of 20 samples tested.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
No square on the calendar is truly protected once the NFL detects people with time off, disposable income and access to nachos.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 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 20 May. 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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