DETECT Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

detect

verb

di-ˈtekt

Definition of detect

as in to find

to come upon after searching, study, or effort I can detect just a hint of lemon in the soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of detect Routine screening guidelines generally do not apply to women under 40, and studies indicate approximately 80% of young women diagnosed with breast cancer initially detect the abnormality themselves. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 About 80% of young women diagnosed with breast cancer initially detect the abnormality themselves. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 Simon rotated a telescope towards the night sky while photodiodes detected light from planets and stars—which was then converted into an electrical signal with an analog amplifier. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 16 Oct. 2026 OpenAI found that its monitoring systems would be less likely to detect when its new Astra model behaves in undesirable ways through chain-of-thought compared to older models, according to documentation from early September. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detect

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detect

Verb

Yet the clubs from small markets with relatively low payrolls found ways to play the best baseball in each of their respective leagues this season en route to the World Series.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
Other organizations linked to Page, including Flu Lab LLC, One Aero, and Oceankind, were also incorporated in Delaware that month, after previously being in California, Rogelberg’s analysis of state filings found.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of find

Verb

Even its afterglow was so absurdly incandescent that JWST was able to locate the source supernova only several months later.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Last year, the counties that saw the highest acreage losses by far were San Joaquin — where Lodi is located — and Fresno.

— Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of locate

Verb

They are discovered well beyond the bounds of the strategic map, where the winds shift, the old answers sink, and the pilot must find the way by dead reckoning.

— Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
After a five-and-a-half-year absence, Tom Cotton has recently discovered a state called Arkansas.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of discover

Verb

White said Salvation Brands is not to be confused with the big brand management firms such as Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global, which are getting all the attention these days.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Waddhwa moved to strike a film development deal around the incident after getting unsolicited inquiries from Indian media firms.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of get

Browse Nearby Words

detains

detect

detectable

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“Detect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detect. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of detect

verb

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