Usage Note
Détecter is used in technical and everyday contexts: detecting a signal, a smell, an anomaly, or a lie. The related noun détecteur means 'detector' (e.g., détecteur de fumée — smoke detector). Détecter un problème is a very common collocation.
Examples
"Le capteur a détecté un mouvement suspect."
Natural Translation
The sensor detected a suspicious movement.

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