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

Yet investigators have struggled to connect Einhorn and Urich with either the Bild case or Qatargate. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Investigating the crash The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration sent investigators on Wednesday to determine what caused the a Eurocopter AS350 B2 to go down. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Detectives with the Police Department’s major collision investigation unit and crime scene investigators are investigating, according to Smith. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026

About 600 police officers are on duty around the festival in addition to Bavarian riot police, specialized pickpocket investigators, and international task forces from eight countries, dpa reported. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 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