Adjacent Words

Detect definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DETECT, v.t. [L., to cover.] Literally, to uncover; hence, to discover; to find out; to bring to light; as, to detect the ramifications and inosculations of the fine vessels. But this word is especially applied to the discovery of secret crimes and artifices. We detect a thief, or the crime of stealing. We detect the artifices of the man, or the man himself. We detect what is concealed, especially what is concealed by design.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint" [syn: detect, observe, find, discover, notice]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin detectus, past participle of detegere to uncover, detect, from de- + tegere to cover — more at thatch Date: 1574 transitive verb 1. to discover the true character of 2. to discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of <detect alcohol in the blood> 3. demodulate intransitive verb to work as a detective • detectability noun • detectable adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 a (often foll. by in) reveal the guilt of; discover (detected him in his crime). b discover (a crime). 2 discover or perceive the existence or presence of (detected a smell of burning; do I detect a note of sarcasm?). 3 Physics use an instrument to observe (a signal, radiation, etc.). Derivatives: detectable adj. detectably adv. Etymology: L detegere detect- (as DE-, tegere cover)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Detect De*tect" (d[-e]*t[e^]kt"), a. [L. detectus, p. p. of detegere to uncover, detect; de + tegere to cover. See Tegument.] Detected. [Obs.] --Fabyan.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Detect De*tect" (d[-e]*t[e^]kt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Detected; p. pr. & vb. n. Detecting.] 1. To uncover; to discover; to find out; to bring to light; as, to detect a crime or a criminal; to detect a mistake in an account. Plain good intention . . . is as easily discovered at the first view, as fraud is surely detected at last. --Burke. Like following life through creatures you dissect, You lose it in the moment you detect. --Pope. 2. To inform against; to accuse. [Obs.] He was untruly judged to have preached such articles as he was detected of. --Sir T. More. Syn: To discover; find out; lay bare; expose.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(detects, detecting, detected) 1. To detect something means to find it or discover that it is present somewhere by using equipment or making an investigation. ...a sensitive piece of equipment used to detect radiation... ...a device which can detect who is more at risk of a heart attack. VERB: V n, V wh 2. If you detect something, you notice it or sense it, even though it is not very obvious. Arnold could detect a certain sadness in the old man's face. = sense VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Discover, expose, descry, ascertain, find, find out, bring to light, lay open.

Moby Thesaurus

ascertain, catch, descry, determine, dig up, discern, discover, distinguish, encounter, espy, feel, find, find out, hit, identify, locate, make out, note, notice, observe, perceive, pick up, read, recognize, scent, see, sense, smell, spot, spy, uncover, unearth