detail

American  

[dih-teyl, dee-teyl, dih-teyl, dee-teyl] / dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi teɪl, dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi teɪl /

noun

1. an individual or minute part; an item or particular.

2. particulars collectively; minutiae.

3. attention to or treatment of a subject in individual or minute parts.

   to postpone detail and concentrate on a subject as a whole.

4. intricate, finely wrought decoration.

5. Engineering. detail drawing.

6. any small section of a larger structure or whole, considered as a unit.

7. Military.

   1. an appointment or assignment, as of a small group or an officer, for a special task.

   2. the party or person so selected.

      the kitchen detail.

   3. a particular assignment of duty.

8. the property of an image or of a method of image production to make small, closely spaced image elements individually distinguishable.

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verb (used with object)

1. to relate or report with complete particulars; tell fully and distinctly.

2. to mention one by one; specify; list.

   He detailed the events leading up to the robbery.

   Synonyms:

   catalog, enumerate, itemize

3. Military. to appoint or assign for some particular duty.

   We were detailed to patrol the border.

4. to provide with intricate, finely wrought decoration.

   lingerie detailed with lace and embroidery.

5. to thoroughly clean (a vehicle or part of a vehicle) and do minor repairs to improve its appearance.

   We detail the wheels and chrome to remove the rust.

idioms

1. in detail, item by item; with particulars.

   The résumé stated his qualifications in detail.

detail British  

/ ˈdiːteɪl /

noun

1. an item or smaller part that is considered separately; particular

2. an item or circumstance that is insignificant or unimportant

   passengers' comfort was regarded as a detail

3. treatment of or attention to items or particulars

   this essay includes too much detail

4. items collectively; particulars

5. a small or accessory section or element in a painting, building, statue, etc, esp when considered in isolation

6. military

   1. the act of assigning personnel for a specific duty, esp a fatigue

   2. the personnel selected

   3. the duty or assignment

7. to include all or most particulars

8. including all or most particulars or items thoroughly

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verb

1. to list or relate fully

2. military to select (personnel) for a specific duty

3. to decorate or elaborate (carving, etc) with fine delicate drawing or designs

detail More Idioms  

1. see in detail.

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Other Word Forms

• predetail verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of detail

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French détail, Old French, noun derivative of detailler “to cut in pieces,” equivalent to de- “away, apart , etc.” ( dis- ¹ ) + tailler “to cut,” from unattested Vulgar Latin taliāre; tailor ¹

Example Sentences

And here are some details on the audits ExpressVPN has undergone:

From Salon

Key details: Production rose in March as companies caught up on prior orders.

From MarketWatch

Jung and Clarke, along with their collaborators, then spent more than a year studying the anatomy in detail.

From Science Daily

It is important to note that Chelsea have not yet released their full accounts, which will soon be published at Companies House and are expected to provide a more detailed picture.

From BBC

At the time, the BBC did not give any further details over the allegations and it is not clear what, if any, role the police investigation played in his sacking.

From BBC

Related Words

• analyze
• delineate
• depict
• describe
• enumerate
• lay out
• portray
• recount
• relate
• reveal
• set forth
• spell out
• stipulate
• summarize
• tell
• uncover