as in investigator
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the code used by the serial killer in his letters to the police was actually cracked by an amateur detective
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Recent Examples of detective
From rock legends and Western gunslingers to action heroes and noir detectives, Kilmer’s brand was built on brilliant variability.
—
Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The detectives, Kyle Sullivan and Matt Anderson, concluded that the shooter was Xavier Bacon, the new boyfriend.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2025
It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was about detective Chandler Jarrell (played by Murphy), who specialized in missing children and was tasked with rescuing a mystical Tibetan child from evil.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
On March 28, 2025, Donte was taken into custody by SID detectives and extradited to Connecticut with the assistance of the States Attorney’s Office, and then transported to the HPD Detention Division where
he was charged, and held on bond, police said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The detectives, Kyle Sullivan and Matt Anderson, concluded that the shooter was Xavier Bacon, the new boyfriend.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2025
It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was about detective Chandler Jarrell (played by Murphy), who specialized in missing children and was tasked with rescuing a mystical Tibetan child from evil.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
On March 28, 2025, Donte was taken into custody by SID detectives and extradited to Connecticut with the assistance of the States Attorney’s Office, and then transported to the HPD Detention Division where
he was charged, and held on bond, police said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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