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
In the two years following, detectives chased a number of leads, but many of them resulted in dead ends, Miramar Police Chief Delrish Moss told the Sun Sentinel Tuesday.
—
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026
Hero Fiennes Tiffin will return as the titular young master detective.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
At the time of his arrest, assaults detectives were already looking for him in connection with three other attacks dating back to February, police said.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Philip Michael Thomas was Crockett’s partner, Tubbs, a former NYPD detective who came to Miami to find the man who killed his brother.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026
Hero Fiennes Tiffin will return as the titular young master detective.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
At the time of his arrest, assaults detectives were already looking for him in connection with three other attacks dating back to February, police said.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Philip Michael Thomas was Crockett’s partner, Tubbs, a former NYPD detective who came to Miami to find the man who killed his brother.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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Following the alleged confession, investigators in Medina County began searching the Medina Lake area.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
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With assurances of an immunity deal, David Wiley met with investigators at his attorney's office.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Welcome to being a campaign operative.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Tillman is a mid-level, mainstream Republican operative who has worked mostly at the state level.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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