4 N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to the small features of something which are often not noticed as detail . □ We like his attention to detail and his enthusiasm.
5 N‑COUNT A detail of a picture is a part of it that is printed separately and perhaps made bigger, so that smaller features can be clearly seen.
6 VERB If you detail things, you list them or give information about them. □ [V n] The report detailed the human rights abuses committed during the war. [Also V how]
7 PHRASE If someone does not go into details about a subject, or does not go into the detail , they mention it without explaining it fully or properly. □ He said he had been in various parts of Britain but did not go into details.
8 PHRASE If you examine or discuss something in detail , you do it thoroughly and carefully. □ We examine the wording in detail before deciding on the final text. COLLOCATIONS detail NOUN
1
noun + detail : account, bank, credit card; contact
adjective + detail : intimate, personal; financial, technical
2
adjective + detail : exact, full, further
detail + be + adjective : available
verb + detail : announce, give, provide, publish; disclose, leak, release, reveal SYNONYMS detail NOUN 1
feature: The most unusual feature in the room is an extraordinary pair of candles.
point: Many of the points in the report are correct.
particular: You will find all the particulars in Chapter 9.
aspect: He was interested in all aspects of the work here.
de|tailed ◆◇◇ /diː te I ld, [AM ] d I te I ld/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A detailed report or plan contains a lot of details. □ Yesterday's letter contains a detailed account of the decisions.
de|tain /d I te I n/ (detains , detaining , detained )
1 VERB When people such as the police detain someone, they keep them in a place under their control. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The act allows police to detain a suspect for up to 48 hours.
2 VERB To detain someone means to delay them, for example by talking to them. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Thank you. We won't detain you any further.
de|tainee /diː te I niː / (detainees ) N‑COUNT A detainee is someone who is held prisoner by a government because of his or her political views or activities.
de|tect /d I te kt/ (detects , detecting , detected )
1 VERB To detect something means to find it or discover that it is present somewhere by using equipment or making an investigation. □ [V n] …a sensitive piece of equipment used to detect radiation. □ [V wh] …a device which can detect who is more at risk of a heart attack.
2 VERB If you detect something, you notice it or sense it, even though it is not very obvious. □ [V n] Arnold could detect a certain sadness in the old man's face.
de|tect|able /d I te ktəb ə l/ ADJ Something that is detectable can be noticed or discovered. □ Doctors say the disease is probably inherited but not detectable at birth.
de|tec|tion /d I te kʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Detection is the act of noticing or sensing something. □ [+ of ] …the early detection of breast cancer.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Detection is the discovery of something which is supposed to be hidden. □ They are cheating but are sophisticated enough to avoid detection. [Also + of ]
3 N‑UNCOUNT Detection is the work of investigating a crime in order to find out what has happened and who committed it. □ The detection rate for motor vehicle theft that year was just 11.7 per cent.
de|tec|tive ◆◇◇ /d I te kt I v/ (detectives )
1 N‑COUNT A detective is someone whose job is to discover what has happened in a crime or other situation and to find the people involved. Some detectives work in the police force and others work privately. □ Detectives are appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious. □ She hired a private detective in an attempt to find her daughter.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A detective novel or story is one in which a detective tries to solve a crime.
de|tec|tor /d I te ktə r / (detectors ) N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A detector is an instrument which is used to discover that something is present somewhere, or to measure how much of something there is. □ …a metal detector. □ …fire alarms and smoke detectors.
de|tente /de I tɒ nt/ also détente N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] Detente is a state of friendly relations between two countries when previously there had been problems between them. [FORMAL ] □ …their desire to pursue a policy of detente.
de|ten|tion /d I te nʃ ə n/ (detentions )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Detention is when someone is arrested or put into prison, especially for political reasons. □ …the detention without trial of government critics.
2 N‑VAR Detention is a punishment for naughty schoolchildren, who are made to stay at school after the other children have gone home. □ The teacher kept the boys in detention after school.
de|te n|tion cen|tre (detention centres ) in AM, use detention center N‑COUNT A detention centre is a sort of prison, for example a place where people who have entered a country illegally are kept while a decision is made about what to do with them.
de|ter /d I tɜː r / (deters , deterring , deterred ) VERB To deter someone from doing something means to make them not want to do it or continue doing it. □ [V n + from ] Supporters of the death penalty argue that it would deter criminals from carrying guns. □ [V n] Arrests and jail sentences have done nothing to deter the protesters.