investigator

noun

in·​ves·​ti·​ga·​tor in-ˈve-stə-ˌgā-tər 

plural investigators

: one who investigates something: such as

a

: detective

a private investigator

Debra Winger plays the investigator who becomes fixated on identifying a killer …

—Margaret Rauch

b

: a person who conducts experiments or is involved in scientific studies for research

the lead investigator in a clinical trial

For dialect recording, it is best for the investigator to take down as full and accurate notes as possible without slowing down the pace of the interview.

—Ravin I. McDavid, Jr.

Synonyms of investigator

• researcher

Examples of investigator in a Sentence

investigators who discovered new evidence that the universe was much older than had been previously estimated

the investigator in charge of the case was touted as an expert at tracing stolen art

Recent Examples on the Web

But police say the ranger approaching the car would ultimately lead to a sprawling investigation involving drugs, guns, mysterious chemicals, a missing woman and local and federal investigators turning a Philadelphia home inside out. — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

The captain arranged for the cameras to go to a Texas Department of Public Safety investigator. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026

The men put the cash inside waist packs or their pockets, investigators said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Anyone with more is asked to contact LASD's Homicide Bureau investigators at 323-890-5500. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing investigator

• co-investigator
• private investigator

Rhymes for investigator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• collaborator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator