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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detective
Filming is currently underway in Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt, with Lisa Vicari, who was in Dark and the recent second season of Apple TV’s Hijack starring as Anja Vogler and Peter Kurth (Babylon Berlin) as detective Norbert Troschitz.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
During the operation, East Haven detectives and officers, probation officers and task force officers conducted coordinated enforcement actions at multiple locations in East Haven and surrounding jurisdictions, Murgo said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Tiernan, from Austin, declined to speak with detectives without a lawyer.
—David Goodhue
march 9, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Costume designer Rudy Mance breaks down all the detective work that went into reviving the most famous bridal look of the 1990s.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
During the operation, East Haven detectives and officers, probation officers and task force officers conducted coordinated enforcement actions at multiple locations in East Haven and surrounding jurisdictions, Murgo said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Tiernan, from Austin, declined to speak with detectives without a lawyer.
—David Goodhue
march 9, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Costume designer Rudy Mance breaks down all the detective work that went into reviving the most famous bridal look of the 1990s.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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But Johnson-Swartz began calling and texting in the days that followed, the student told investigators.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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In a related email to Abbott, neonatologist Robert White of Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana, and Pediatrix Medical Group — an investigator in the study — explained his concerns.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On paper, Gosling’s turn as a CIA operative named Six who is entrusted with protecting a tween girl from an unhinged assassin should be, if not amazing, at least watchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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Or for the suggestion that Chinese intelligence operatives were roaming near sensitive sites with impunity.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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