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
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Recent Examples of detective
Zarzuela said the investigation involved patrol officers and detectives, leading to 37-year-old Gioacchino Esposito being identified as a suspect, according to Zarzuela.
—
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Islam, who was on an off-duty, paid security detail that afternoon, was promoted to NYPD detective at his funeral.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s people who are gonna try to, like, do detective work, figure out the details — who is that about?
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Sheriff’s detectives believe that the driver attempted to burglarize the business but fled before deputies arrived.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Islam, who was on an off-duty, paid security detail that afternoon, was promoted to NYPD detective at his funeral.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s people who are gonna try to, like, do detective work, figure out the details — who is that about?
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Sheriff’s detectives believe that the driver attempted to burglarize the business but fled before deputies arrived.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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After Lawhead’s arrest, investigators searched the house and found loaded firearms, a bag with $15,000 and a burner phone, the sheriff said.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
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At one point, the 4-year-old lifted the blanket, exposing his bare stomach, and Berrios-Otero’s hand could allegedly be seen appearing to be below the child’s stomach area, an investigator wrote in the warrant affidavits.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Federal documents show that longtime political operative and Trump ally Roger Stone has since joined DCI's effort, at $50,000 per month.—
Lorcan Lovett,
NPR,
3 May 2026
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The problem is not that every national reporter is a Democratic operative.—
Larry Clifton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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