noun
detail
DEE-tayl
noun
1
A small, specific fact or feature, especially one easy to overlook.
"She remembered every detail of the conversation."
"Don't worry about the small details for now."
verb
1
To describe something fully, covering all its specific points.
"The report detailed the company's financial losses."
2
To clean a vehicle thoroughly, inside and out.
"He had his car detailed before selling it."
How to Use Detail
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small specific piece of information, or (as a verb) to spell something out fully or to clean a vehicle thoroughly.
Common pairings
in detail
go into detail
attention to detail
a minor detail
Word Forms
detailed past tense, details plural, details singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “detail”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She remembered every _____ of the conversation.
Etymology
From French detail, from detailler, "to cut into pieces" — from de- and tailler ("to cut"), the same root as "tailor".