Synonyms of detective

detective

noun

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

• investigator
• operative
• sleuth
• dick
• gumshoe
• private investigator
• private detective
• private eye
• shamus
• sherlock
• sleuthhound
• tracer
• tracker
• hawkshaw
• Federal
• tail
• narc
• plainclothesman
• fed
• shadow
• G-man

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of detective

The trailer, released Friday morning, kicks off with Backo’s Carson, a local detective, and Reid’s Rapp, a private investigator, looking into the disappearance of Henry Park (Williams). — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026

In the end, a case that set off alarm bells to the NYPD and the US Secret Service about national security, and the potential for foreign agents or terrorists, ended with some high-end detective work leading to an unglamorous motive. — John Miller, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2026

Later, on Friday, detectives carried out a search warrant on a vehicle and discovered garbage bags in the vehicle's trunk, police said in a news release Friday providing an update on the case. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026

Sheriff’s detectives located surveillance video that helped to identify a suspect. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing detective

• private detective