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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Recent Examples of sleuth
Over the weekend, as online sleuths scoured photos of Trump for evidence of any frailty, the political scientist Ian Bremmer pointed out that obsessive scrutiny of a leader’s health is a hallmark of authoritarian countries.
—
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Following the incident, which took place after a match involving Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak, internet sleuths quickly identified the man as Piotr Szczerek, the millionaire owner of Drogbruk.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But some schmuck producer somewhere out there in Hollywood doesn't agree, and hopefully some internet sleuths will figure out who the person is and shame them.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Swift wore a striped silk-blend dress in shades of cream and black by Ralph Lauren for the proposal, according to internet sleuths and reports in People and Harper's Bazaar.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Following the incident, which took place after a match involving Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak, internet sleuths quickly identified the man as Piotr Szczerek, the millionaire owner of Drogbruk.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But some schmuck producer somewhere out there in Hollywood doesn't agree, and hopefully some internet sleuths will figure out who the person is and shame them.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Swift wore a striped silk-blend dress in shades of cream and black by Ralph Lauren for the proposal, according to internet sleuths and reports in People and Harper's Bazaar.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuth
Noun
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Scott, McDonald and Neary were arrested, but Rackauckas and a Fullerton police detective persuaded Neary to testify against the other two men, according to the motion.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
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Reigle and her team tested about a dozen formulations and viscosities, playing detective to figure out where a whole host of issues was coming from.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a one-and-a-half-page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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One of the main enforcers of H-2A rules, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, last year had one of the lowest levels of investigators since the H-2A program was launched in the 1980s, Rutgers University researchers found.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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