1 de·tail
Pronounced:
/dɪˈteɪl, ˈdi:ˌteɪl/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural de·tailsMeaning:
1 [count] a : a small part of something ▪ Every/each detail of the wedding was carefully planned. ▪ They designed every detail of the house. ▪ He planned the party down to the smallest/last/tiniest detail. [=he planned everything about the party] ▪ Don't sweat the details. [=don't worry about minor things] b [noncount] : the small parts of something ▪ the wooden box's fine carved detail ▪ We admired the detail of the artist's work. ▪ Use a small paintbrush for the detail work. [=decorative work or work done using small pieces] ▪ The job requires attention to detail. ◊If you have an eye for detail or a fine/good/keen eye for detail, you are good at noticing small but important things that other people might not notice. ▪ It is helpful to have a good eye for detail when you are building a house. ▪ a filmmaker with an eye for detail
2 a [count] : a particular fact or piece of information about something or someone ▪ The article provides further details. ▪ You left out an important detail about their new baby: is it a girl or boy? ▪ The novel is full of historical details. b [noncount] : information about something or someone that is often specific or precise ▪ The book includes a wealth of detail on living conditions aboard ships at that time. ▪ The novel is full of historical detail. ▪ The book covers the topic of grammar at a level of detail that most people would find boring.
3 [count] : a special job that is given to a soldier or group of soldiers —usually singular ▪ They were assigned to security/maintenance/kitchen detail.
2 a [count] : a particular fact or piece of information about something or someone ▪ The article provides further details. ▪ You left out an important detail about their new baby: is it a girl or boy? ▪ The novel is full of historical details. b [noncount] : information about something or someone that is often specific or precise ▪ The book includes a wealth of detail on living conditions aboard ships at that time. ▪ The novel is full of historical detail. ▪ The book covers the topic of grammar at a level of detail that most people would find boring.
3 [count] : a special job that is given to a soldier or group of soldiers —usually singular ▪ They were assigned to security/maintenance/kitchen detail.
go into detail
: to discuss or describe everything about something including the small or unimportant parts ▪ The newspaper reports went into (great) detail about his political background. ▪ I will try to tell the story without going into too much detail.
in detail
: including a lot of information about something : without leaving out any important parts ▪ She explained in detail how they met. ▪ We will discuss/examine/explore the plan in detail. ▪ Please describe the scene in as much detail as you can. [=in a way that includes as much information as possible] ▪ We will talk about this issue in more/further/greater detail tomorrow.