detect

verb

de·tect di-ˈtekt

dē-

detected; detecting; detects

transitive verb

: to discover the true character of

detecting drug smugglers

: 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?

: demodulate

intransitive verb

: to work as a detective

detectability

di-ˌtek-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē

dē-

noun

detectable

di-ˈtek-tə-bəl

dē-

adjective

Example Sentences

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 And while the fertilizers don’t impact a bee’s vision or smell, the flying insects were able to detect and discriminate against the small and dynamic electric field alterations that the chemicals caused.

Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 9 Nov. 2022 Scientists were able to detect the new findings by using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

Shafiq Najib, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2022 While YouTube was able to detect and reject every test submission and suspend the channel used to post them, the other two platforms fared noticeably worse, according to the report.

Jennifer Korn, CNN, 21 Oct. 2022 But Walt’s team was able to detect the proteins after developing a special test.

Kay Lazar, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Oct. 2022 Right or wrong, old-fashioned or not, partly true or entirely true — if the culture has a pulse, the Q Score can still detect it.

Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2022 The laboratory device, described in a paper published online Sept. 12 in the journal Organic Letters, is able to detect THC and measure the psychoactive component's concentration in a solution.

Denise Chow, NBC News, 6 Oct. 2022 The smartphone used in the study was able to detect a blood oxygen level as low as 70 percent, which is the lowest value that pulse oximeters should be able to measure according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022 Scientists designed the James Webb Space Telescope to be able to detect faint light from distant parts of the universe.

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.