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
Better to nip the intrusion in the bud by detecting the first signs of trouble.
—
PCMAG, 7 Mar. 2025
Kaspersky further advised, in all but the last case, existing endpoint protection platforms are capable of detecting, mitigating, and removing infostealer malware that can lead to credit card data ending up on the dark web.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported that a total of 11 Chinese balloons were detected flying over the island and the in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Friday.
5 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.
—Ryan Chan, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Power grabs, when made by those who already have power, can be difficult to detect.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detect
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PCMAG, 7 Mar. 2025
Kaspersky further advised, in all but the last case, existing endpoint protection platforms are capable of detecting, mitigating, and removing infostealer malware that can lead to credit card data ending up on the dark web.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported that a total of 11 Chinese balloons were detected flying over the island and the in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Friday.
5 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.
—Ryan Chan, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Power grabs, when made by those who already have power, can be difficult to detect.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 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 10 Mar. 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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