as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the popular TV sleuth lives a much more action-packed life than do his real-world counterparts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sleuth
As videos from the location shoot hit social media, online sleuths quickly deducted that Bobby is probably dead.
—
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
The trailers have not given much away, leading online sleuths to form their own theories about how that on-stage moment in L.A., which Tesfaye has attributed to psychological factors like stress, plays into the narrative.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 8 May 2025
The divisive case has attracted attention from YouTubers, TikTokers and internet sleuths alike.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Internet sleuths have already guessed that in certain frames, Fanning’s Thia could be a Weyland-Yutani android.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
The trailers have not given much away, leading online sleuths to form their own theories about how that on-stage moment in L.A., which Tesfaye has attributed to psychological factors like stress, plays into the narrative.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 8 May 2025
The divisive case has attracted attention from YouTubers, TikTokers and internet sleuths alike.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Internet sleuths have already guessed that in certain frames, Fanning’s Thia could be a Weyland-Yutani android.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuth
Noun
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Last week, prosecutors called their final witness, the Chicago police detective who was the lead investigator in the case.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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While genre fiction steadily advances onto bestseller lists, realism soldiers on, amid cyborgs and dragons and boozy detectives.—
Hamilton Cain,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Eliott Simpson, senior aviation accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane departed from Teterboro, New Jersey, at about 11:15 p.m. on May 21 and flew to Wichita, Kansas.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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However, investigators are still working to determine what sparked the violence.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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