Consolidated Condensed Statement Of Stockholders' Equity Consolidated Condensed Statement Of Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2019	Mar. 30, 2018
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Debt conversion, converted instrument, tax benefit	$ 4.7	$ 3.1

Debt Conversion, Converted Instrument, Tax Benefit (Expense)

No definition available.

Name:	dhr_DebtConversionConvertedInstrumentTaxBenefitExpense
Namespace Prefix:	dhr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration