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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detective
Less than a year ago, two Elgin detectives were named to the police department’s new cold case unit.
—
Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Witnesses can also contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2025
Around the same time, Salinas police detectives heard from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which received a tip from an online service provider that Betancourt accessed obscene material involving minors engaged in lewd acts.
—Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
Gun Violence Unit detectives were notified to investigate.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Witnesses can also contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2025
Around the same time, Salinas police detectives heard from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which received a tip from an online service provider that Betancourt accessed obscene material involving minors engaged in lewd acts.
—Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
Gun Violence Unit detectives were notified to investigate.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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According to the documents, investigators secured a search warrant for footage from inside the school and saw Morrison encourage other students to mentally and physically abuse a child at the school.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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On April 16, investigators determined her account was accessed from an IP address at a home where 44-year-old Maximilian Bondrescu lived.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Still, Democratic operatives say the optics matter.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
23 Apr. 2025
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These hybrid operatives babysit swarms of agents, write policy tests and negotiate with regulators.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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