Meanings
plural detents
- That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch (stopping mechanism), pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking.
A UHF tuner having 70 detent positions with fine tuning capability at all locations. Coarse tuning is accomplished via a toothed, detented disk and a spirally-extending rim having a follower lever operable therewith.
1972, Mayer et al., United States Patent 3760640, abstract
present singular third person detents · participle present detenting · participle past detented · past detented
- The action of locking or unlocking movement by way of a detent mechanism
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintendō“to stretch”
- Frenchdétente
- Englishdetent
From French détente, from Latin tendō (“to stretch”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ограничи́тел
- ограничи́тел (ograničítel)which locks or unlocks a movement
German Sperrklinke, Arretierung
- Sperrklinkewhich locks or unlocks a movement
- Arretierungwhich locks or unlocks a movement
Polish zapadka
- zapadkawhich locks or unlocks a movement
Spanish retén, detenedor
- reténwhich locks or unlocks a movement
- detenedorwhich locks or unlocks a movement
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with detent
Anagrams
Cite this entry
detent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detent
“detent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “detent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detent.
Source: detent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.