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
Aduba, 44, played famous detective Cordelia Cupp, who was determined to solve an unexpected murder at the White House, in The Residence.
—
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Collins is accused of killing Octavis Anthony Myers and a woman whose identity has yet to be released, detectives say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Suspect arrested at Charlotte shelter CMPD detectives went to the men’s shelter and identified suspect Moses Early, 29, according to the police document submitted to the court.
—Andrew Dys, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2025
Middleboro detectives launched an undercover operation and took control of the child’s phone, as police texted with the suspect.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Collins is accused of killing Octavis Anthony Myers and a woman whose identity has yet to be released, detectives say.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Suspect arrested at Charlotte shelter CMPD detectives went to the men’s shelter and identified suspect Moses Early, 29, according to the police document submitted to the court.
—Andrew Dys, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2025
Middleboro detectives launched an undercover operation and took control of the child’s phone, as police texted with the suspect.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a one-and-a-half-page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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One of the main enforcers of H-2A rules, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, last year had one of the lowest levels of investigators since the H-2A program was launched in the 1980s, Rutgers University researchers found.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One is Julie Stauch, a longtime Iowa political operative who launched her bid in June.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
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The report also detailed how its AI capabilities were being misused by North Korean operatives who used it to obtain remote jobs at tech companies.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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