detail
Pluraldetails
Verbdetails, detailing, detailed
Pluraldetails
Formsdetails, detailing, detailed
- 1One small fact or part of something, often one that people might not notice.
The police asked her to remember every detail of what happened that night.
The news story gave details of the new rules for school buses.
UsageOften details: the details of the plan, every detail.
Similarnicety
- 2To explain something fully, including all its small parts.
Like listing every single thing instead of giving a short summary.
Please detail your reasons clearly in the report.
The manual details every step of the setup process.
UsageOften a report or letter details something: the report details the costs.
Similarspecify
Oppositesummarize, generalize
- 3The small parts of something that people often fail to notice.
Like the tiny stitches in clothing that you don't notice from far away.
The carving shows so much fine detail that you keep finding new things.
This lens captures every bit of detail in the shadows.
UsageOften in attention to detail and fine detail, with no a before it.
- 4The way of telling or explaining something point by point, including all the small facts.
Like telling a story where you describe every little thing that happened.
She told us about her trip in great detail.
The witness recounted the night in exhausting detail.
UsageMostly in in detail or in great detail.
Similardepth, thoroughness, specificity
Oppositeoutline, brief, summary
Note
- 5A piece of personal information, like a name, address, or phone number.
Like one line you fill in on a form.
The form asks for one more contact detail, like your email address.
She updated her contact details after moving to a new city.
UsageUsually details: your contact details, your bank details.
Less common meanings
- 6To clean something, especially a car, very thoroughly, including small areas that are hard to reach.
Like cleaning every corner of a room with a toothbrush, not just sweeping the floor.
They detail luxury cars at the shop downtown.
He spent the whole afternoon detailing his truck.
UsagePeople often have their car detailed: they pay a shop to do it.
Note
- 7A small group given a short job, or the job itself, in the army or police.
Like a small team picked to do one job for a short time.
The sergeant put together a detail to guard the gate overnight.
She was assigned to kitchen detail for the week.
UsageOften after a job word: guard detail, kitchen detail. You are on kitchen detail.
Similardetachment, contingent
Note
- 8A small point that people think is too unimportant to worry about.
Like a tiny crumb on the table that nobody bothers to clean.
Don't worry about the cost; that's just a detail we can fix later.
Whether we meet at noon or at one is a mere detail.
UsageOften just a detail or a minor detail: not worth worrying about.
Similartechnicality, trifle, triviality
- 9To give a person or group a certain job to do.
Like a teacher choosing certain students to hand out the books.
The officers detail two guards to each entrance.
The commander detailed a squad to escort the convoy.
UsageOften be detailed to do a job: be told to do it.
Similardetach
Note
- 10A small chosen part of a painting, often shown close up on its own.
Like zooming in on one corner of a big picture to see it closely.
The catalog printed a detail of the fresco beside the full image.
This detail of the altarpiece shows the brushwork on the angel's wing.
UsageSay a detail of or from a painting.
Note
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From French, from a word meaning "to cut," built from de- plus taillier ("to cut").
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- English detail was borrowed from French. en.wiktionary.org
- The origin includes a verb meaning to cut. fr.wiktionary.org
- The ancestral verb was formed from de- plus taillier, meaning to cut. en.wiktionary.org