Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use detest in a sentence

14 example sentences · verb

Detest means to dislike (someone or something) intensely; to loathe. Example: “I detest snakes.”

Examples of detest by meaning

verbTo dislike (someone or something) intensely; to loathe.

  • I detest snakes.
  • Nurse Cramer had a cute nose and a radiant, blooming complexion dotted with fetching sprays of adorable freckles that Yossarian detested.1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 171

More sentences with detest

  • Although she detested her client, the taxi rank system meant she had no choice but to take the case.From the entry taxi rank
  • There are three reasons why I don't want to dance with you. To start with, my feet hurt. For another thing, you can't dance. And lastly, I detest you stench.From the entry for another thing
  • It is an iron rule of French politics that sitting presidents are detested.2022 April 8, John Lichfield, “Get ready for a scary fortnight in French politics: a Le Pen presidency really is possible”, in The Guardian. From the entry sitting
  • A focus for disaffected Ricardians, Margaret hated Henry and she detested the new political settlement.2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 23. From the entry Ricardian
  • Ragers are feared and detested by teachers for their potential to destroy a lesson.2005, Paul Blum, Teacher's Guide to Anger Management, page 51. From the entry rager
  • The dowager empress detested the Vladimirovichs and allegedly sought another solution.1994, Greg King, “Autumn of Delusions”, in The Last Empress: The Life and Times of Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia, Secaucus…. From the entry Vladimirovich
  • The "ronds-de-cuir" are still ridiculed and detested.2013 March 11, Lara Marlowe, “Magic of living in Paris punctures pain of endless French bureaucracy”, in The Irish Times. From the entry rond-de-cuir
  • Nor like her middle name, which she really detested, Edna.1979, Mary McMullen, But Nellie Was So Nice, Doubleday, page 23. From the entry Charmian
  • "Dear Bessie - " Elizabeth had never asked her not to call her that, although she fairly detested the name.1907, Grace Livingston Hill, The Girl from Montana, BiblioBazaar,LLC, published 2007, →ISBN, page 139. From the entry Bessie
  • Laughlin was the only one in a movie party who detested the second male lead—"I regarded him as overserious, pedantic, a stuffed shirt."1952 May 26, “Medicine: Mind Matters”, in Time, archived from the original on 01 Dec 2012. From the entry stuffed shirt
  • Reader Vivien Bailey also has a bee in her bonnet: “The usage that I detest is the growing use of the word ‘birth’ as a verb.2023 March 5, Jonathan Bouquet, “May I have a word about… being stuck in a permacrisis”, in The Observer, →ISSN. From the entry bee in one's bonnet
  • He detested the man, always shouting at him and the other squaddies, always finding reasons to give them fatigues, an extra route march, another hour marching round the parade ground.2014, James Gervois, Misplaced Expectations, →ISBN. From the entry route march

Meaning of detest

  1. verb To dislike (someone or something) intensely; to loathe.
  2. verb To witness against; to denounce; to condemn.

Full definition of detest

Questions about detest in a sentence

How do you use detest in a sentence?
Detest is used as a verb. For example: “I detest snakes.”
What is a short sentence with detest?
“I detest snakes.”
What does detest mean?
Detest means to dislike (someone or something) intensely; to loathe.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: detest (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use detest in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/detest. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.