1. past tense and past participle of detect; discovered or noticed something that was hidden or not easily seen

Examples

• The security system detected movement in the hallway.
• Scientists detected traces of water on the planet.
• The smoke alarm detected dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
• Police detected signs of forced entry at the crime scene.
• The software detected several viruses on the computer.
• Doctors detected a small tumor during the routine scan.
• The metal detector detected coins buried in the sand.