Standard Lemma guide

detail

noun · verb · 19 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈdiː.teɪl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈdi.teɪl/
  • US, also: /dɪˈteɪl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: /dɪˈteɪl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /dɪˈteɪl/
  • rhymes with -iːteɪl
  • rhymes with -eɪl
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 T EY1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D IY1 T EY0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A part small enough to escape casual notice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • Note this fine detail in the lower left corner.
  • We missed several important details in the contract.
  • attention to detail

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: minutia, technicality, trifle, triviality

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A profusion of details.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • This etching is full of fine detail.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The small parts that can escape casual notice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A part considered trivial enough to ignore.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • I don't concern myself with the details of accounting.
  • Safety at work is not a mere detail.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A person's name, address and other personal information.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • The arresting officer asked the suspect for his details.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A temporary unit or assignment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: government, law-enforcement, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: contingent, detachment

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

An individual feature, fact, or other item, considered separately from the whole of which it is a part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A selected portion of a painting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: paintings

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: portion, section

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To explain in detail.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I'll detail the exact procedure to you later.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: specify

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To clean carefully (particularly of road vehicles, always pronounced /ˈdiːteɪl/)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • We need to have the minivan detailed.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To assign to a particular task.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: government, law-enforcement, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: detach, second

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • several of the details are similar
  • a point of information

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: item, point

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fact

Narrower terms: minutia, nook and cranny, nooks and crannies, respect, regard, sticking point, technicality, trifle, triviality

14

noun

Meaning 14

extended treatment of particulars

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the essay contained too much detail

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discussion, treatment, discourse

15

noun

Meaning 15

a crew of workers selected for a particular task

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a detail was sent to remove the fallen trees

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gang, crew, work party

16

noun

Meaning 16

a temporary military unit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the peacekeeping force includes one British contingent

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: contingent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: military unit, military force, military group, force

17

noun

Meaning 17

a small part that can be considered separately from the whole

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it was perfect in all details

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: particular, item

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: part, portion, component part, component, constituent

Narrower terms: highlight, high spot

18

verb

Meaning 18

assign to a specific task

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The ambulances were detailed to the fire station

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: assign, specify, set apart

19

verb

Meaning 19

provide details for

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)).

Across languages

Translations

242 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: detal — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Arabic: تَفْصِيل (tafṣīl) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Arabic: تَفَاصِيل (tafāṣīl) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Aragonese: detalle — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Armenian: մանրամաս (manramas) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Asturian: detalle — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Azerbaijani: təfərrüat — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Azerbaijani: təfsilat — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Azerbaijani: detal — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Basque: zehaztasun — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Belarusian: дэта́ль (detálʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Belarusian: падрабя́знасць (padrabjáznascʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Belarusian: падрабя́знасьць (padrabjáznasʹcʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Belarusian: падро́бнасць (padróbnascʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Belarusian: падро́бнасьць (padróbnasʹcʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Bulgarian: дета́йл (detájl) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Bulgarian: подро́бност (podróbnost) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Catalan: detall — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Chinese Mandarin: 細節 /细节 (xìjié) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Czech: podrobnost — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Czech: detail — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Danish: detalje — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Dutch: detail — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Dutch: kleinigheid — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Esperanto: detalo — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Extremaduran: detalli — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Finnish: yksityiskohta — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Finnish: detalji — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • French: détail — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Galician: detalle — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Georgian: დეტალი (deṭali) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Georgian: წვრილმანი (c̣vrilmani) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • German: Detail — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • German: Einzelheit — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Greek: λεπτομέρεια (leptoméreia) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Hebrew: פְּרָט (prat) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Hindi: ब्योरा (byorā) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Hungarian: részlet — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Icelandic: smáatriði — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Indonesian: rinci — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Interlingua: detalio — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Irish: sonra — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Italian: dettaglio — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Italian: particolare — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Japanese: 詳細 (shōsai) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Japanese: 細部 (saibu) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Japanese: 明細 (meisai) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Kazakh: деректеме (derekteme) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Khmer: ភាពលំអិត (phiəp lumʼət) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Khmer: សេចក្តីលំអិត (sackdəy lumʼət) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Korean: 상세 (sangse) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Korean: 세부 (sebu) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Korean: 명세 (myeongse) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Kyrgyz: деталь (detal) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Lao: ລາຍລະອຽດ (lāi la ʼīat) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Lithuanian: smulkmena — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Lithuanian: detalė — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Macedonian: дета́љ (detálj) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Macedonian: подробност (podrobnost) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Malay: perincian — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Malay: butiran — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Māori: taipitopito — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Māori: mokamoka — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Middle English: sleighte — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Khiamniungan Naga: thǖnìeh — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Norwegian Bokmål: detalj — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Dari: جُزْئِیَّات (juz'iyyāt) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Dari: تَفْصِیل (tafsīl) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Iranian Persian: جُزْئِیَّات (joz'iyyât) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Iranian Persian: تَفْصیل (tafsil) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Polish: szczegół — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Polish: detal — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Polish: drobnostka — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Portuguese: detalhe — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Portuguese: pormenor — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Romanian: detaliu — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Romanian: amănunt — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Russian: дета́ль (detálʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Russian: подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Serbo-Croatian: дѐта̄љ — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Serbo-Croatian: dètālj — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Slovak: podrobnosť — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Slovak: detail — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Slovene: podrobnost — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Slovene: detajl — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Spanish: detalle — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Swedish: detalj — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Swedish: enskildhet — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Tagalog: kasaliksikan — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Tajik: тафсилот (tafsilot) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Tajik: тафсил (tafsil) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Tajik: ҷузъиёт (juz'iyot) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Telugu: వివరం (vivaraṁ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Thai: รายละเอียด (raai-lá-ìiat) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Turkish: detay — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Turkish: ayrıntı — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Turkish: teferruat — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Turkish: tafsilat — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Ukrainian: дета́ль (detálʹ) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Ukrainian: подро́биця (podróbycja) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Urdu: تَفْصِیل (tafsīl) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Urdu: جُزْئِیَّات (juziyyāt) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Uzbek: tafsilot — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Uzbek: detal — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Vietnamese: chi tiết — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Yiddish: פּרט (prat) — part small enough to escape casual notice
  • Bulgarian: дета́йлност (detájlnost) — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Danish: detaljer — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Dutch: detail — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Dutch: kleinigheid — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Esperanto: detalaro — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Finnish: detalji — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Finnish: yksityiskohta — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • French: détails — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • German: Detail — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Malay: perincian — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Malay: butiran — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Māori: taipitopito — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Polish: detale — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Portuguese: detalhe — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Russian: дета́ль (detálʹ) — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Spanish: detalle — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Swedish: detaljer — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Tagalog: kasaliksikan — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Thai: รายละเอียด (raai-lá-ìiat) — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Ukrainian: дета́ль (detálʹ) — uncountable: a profusion of details
  • Armenian: մանրուք (manrukʻ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Belarusian: дэта́ль (detálʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Belarusian: падрабя́знасць (padrabjáznascʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Belarusian: падрабя́знасьць (padrabjáznasʹcʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Belarusian: падро́бнасць (padróbnascʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Belarusian: падро́бнасьць (padróbnasʹcʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Bulgarian: дета́йл (detájl) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Czech: detail — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Danish: detalje — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Dutch: detail — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Dutch: kleinigheid — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Finnish: yksityiskohta — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Finnish: epäolennaisuus — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • French: détail — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • German: Detail — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Hebrew: פְּרָט (prat) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Italian: minuzia — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Lithuanian: smulkmena — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Lithuanian: detalė — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Polish: szczegół — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Polish: detal — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Portuguese: detalhe — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Portuguese: minúcias — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Portuguese: pormenor — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Russian: дета́ль (detálʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Russian: подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Russian: то́нкость (tónkostʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Spanish: detalle — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Swedish: oväsentlighet — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Swedish: oväsentlig sak — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Tagalog: kasaliksikan — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Telugu: వివరం (vivaraṁ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Turkish: teferruat — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Ukrainian: дета́ль (detálʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Ukrainian: подро́биця (podróbycja) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Ukrainian: докла́дність (dokládnistʹ) — part considered trivial enough to ignore
  • Armenian: մանրամասներ (manramasner) — plural: personal information
  • Dutch: persoonsgegevens — plural: personal information
  • Esperanto: informoj — plural: personal information
  • Finnish: henkilötiedot — plural: personal information
  • French: coordonnées — plural: personal information
  • Greek: δεδομένα (dedoména) — plural: personal information
  • Greek: στοιχεία (stoicheía) — plural: personal information
  • Hebrew: פרטים (pratim) — plural: personal information
  • Hungarian: személyi adatok — plural: personal information
  • Māori: taipitopito — plural: personal information
  • Māori: taipito — plural: personal information
  • Māori: mōhiohio — plural: personal information
  • Māori: mōhiohio whaiaro — plural: personal information
  • Polish: dane osobowe — plural: personal information
  • Portuguese: identificação — plural: personal information
  • Swedish: information — plural: personal information
  • Swedish: upplysning — plural: personal information
  • Dutch: detachement — military: temporary unit
  • Esperanto: roto — military: temporary unit
  • Finnish: komennus — military: temporary unit
  • French: détachement — military: temporary unit
  • Polish: oddział — military: temporary unit
  • Portuguese: destacamento — military: temporary unit
  • Russian: наря́д (narjád) — military: temporary unit
  • Russian: расчёт (rasčót) — military: temporary unit
  • Spanish: destacamento — military: temporary unit
  • Swedish: detachement — military: temporary unit
  • Swedish: kommendering — military: temporary unit
  • Swedish: utkommendering — military: temporary unit
  • Ukrainian: наря́д (narjád) — military: temporary unit
  • Arabic: فَصَّلَ (faṣṣala) — to explain in detail
  • Bulgarian: излагам подробно (izlagam podrobno) — to explain in detail
  • Catalan: detallar — to explain in detail
  • Estonian: täpselt selgitama — to explain in detail
  • Finnish: selittää tarkasti — to explain in detail
  • Finnish: selittää yksityiskohtaisesti — to explain in detail
  • Finnish: tarkentaa — to explain in detail
  • French: détailler — to explain in detail
  • Galician: detallar — to explain in detail
  • German: detaillisieren — to explain in detail
  • German: detaillieren — to explain in detail
  • Hungarian: részletez — to explain in detail
  • Interlingua: detaliar — to explain in detail
  • Italian: dettagliare — to explain in detail
  • Japanese: 詳細に説明する (shōsai ni setsumei suru) — to explain in detail
  • Māori: āmiki — to explain in detail
  • Occitan: detalhar — to explain in detail
  • Polish: opisywać szczegółowo — to explain in detail
  • Polish: opisać szczegółowo — to explain in detail
  • Polish: uszczegóławiać — to explain in detail
  • Polish: uszczegółowić — to explain in detail
  • Portuguese: detalhar — to explain in detail
  • Portuguese: minuciar — to explain in detail
  • Portuguese: esmiuçar — to explain in detail
  • Portuguese: esquadrinhar — to explain in detail
  • Spanish: detallar — to explain in detail
  • Spanish: pormenorizar — to explain in detail
  • Spanish: puntualizar — to explain in detail
  • Swedish: beskriva detaljerat — to explain in detail
  • Swedish: gå in på detaljer — to explain in detail
  • Swedish: räkna upp — to explain in detail
  • Swedish: specificera — to explain in detail
  • Telugu: విశదీకరించు (viśadīkariñcu) — to explain in detail
  • Thai: แจกแจง (jɛ̀ɛk-jɛɛng) — to explain in detail
  • Turkish: ayrıntılı bir şekilde anlatmak — to explain in detail
  • Polish: czyścić wnętrze samochodu — US: to clean carefully (particularly a car)
  • Polish: wyczyścić wnętrze samochodu — US: to clean carefully (particularly a car)
  • Russian: отдра́ивать (otdráivatʹ) — US: to clean carefully (particularly a car)
  • Finnish: komentaa — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Finnish: määrätä — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Hungarian: kirendel — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Polish: oddelegowywać — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Polish: oddelegować — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Polish: odkomenderowywać — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Polish: odkomenderować — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Russian: отряди́ть (otrjadítʹ) — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Swedish: avdela — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Swedish: detachera — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Swedish: kommendera — military: to assign to a particular task
  • Swedish: ta ut — military: to assign to a particular task
Real reading context

detail in complete knowledge articles