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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detective
In addition to Vaughn, Ortiz will reprise his Season 1 role of Rogelio, a police detective and Yancy’s best friend, as a series regular.
—
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
In other words, the vast majority of those who’ve come in contact with Pynchon’s work are college graduates who enter through Oedipa Maas, a California housewife turned counterculture detective.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Some detectives spoke about how investigating a police shooting affected them personally.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
Through an investigation, police said detectives identified the 25-year-old mother as the woman from the video.
—Daniella Segura, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
In other words, the vast majority of those who’ve come in contact with Pynchon’s work are college graduates who enter through Oedipa Maas, a California housewife turned counterculture detective.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Some detectives spoke about how investigating a police shooting affected them personally.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
Through an investigation, police said detectives identified the 25-year-old mother as the woman from the video.
—Daniella Segura, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
-
His claims were verified when investigators checked out the grave sites.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
The driver of the Nissan stayed at the scene of the crash and cooperated with investigators, police said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That debunked audio, which was also AI-generated, turned out to have been created by a political operative, who faced subsequent criminal charges.—
John Wihbey,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Still, the case added to suspicions about the role of Russian operatives in using drones to probe EU defenses.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share