detect
Use Detect in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to discover or catch (a person) in the performance of some act: to detect someone cheating.
2.
to discover the existence of: to detect the odor of gas.
3.
to find out the true character or activity of: to detect a spy.
4.
Telecommunications.
a.
to rectify alternating signal currents in a radio receiver.
b.
to demodulate.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dētēctus (past participle of dētegere), equivalent to dē- de- + teg(ere) to cover + -tus past participle suffix
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin dētēctus (past participle of dētegere), equivalent to dē- de- + teg(ere) to cover + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
de·tect·a·ble, de·tect·i·ble, adjective
de·tect·a·bil·i·ty, de·tect·i·bil·i·ty, noun
pre·de·tect, verb (used with object)
un·de·tect·a·ble, adjective
un·de·tect·a·b·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To detect
00:10
Detect
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to bark; yelp. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
detect (dɪˈtɛkt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to perceive or notice: to detect a note of sarcasm |
| 2. | to discover the existence or presence of (esp something likely to elude observation): to detect alcohol in the blood |
| 3. | to extract information from (an electromagnetic wave) |
| 4. | obsolete to reveal or expose (a crime, criminal, etc) |
| [C15: from Latin dētectus uncovered, from dētegere to uncover, from | |
| de'tectable | |
| —adj | |
| de'tectible | |
| —adj | |
| de'tecter | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
detect
mid-15c., from L. detectus, pp. of detegere "uncover, disclose," from de- "un-, off" + tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
But existing terahertz devices tend to either emit or detect these waves.
Put all that together and you can detect the start of something new.
Children detect falseness a mile away, so believing in what you're doing is an integral part of leading by example.
Cones detect colors, but only when there's lots of light.
Nearby Words
Related Questions
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
