Meaning & use

detected

verb·Academic

Discovered or noticed the presence or existence of something that is not easily seen or obvious.

See it in a sentence

Doctors detected the small tumor early during a routine annual checkup.

Sensors detected a small gas leak before it became dangerous.

A note on using this word

This is the past tense and past participle of "detect," commonly used in scientific, medical, and security contexts to describe finding something hidden or subtle.

Words with a similar meaning

discoveredidentified

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

missedoverlooked

Make it your own

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