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
That effort has since shifted to a criminal investigation, with detectives canvassing the neighborhood and reviewing surveillance footage.
—
Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Carillo said approximately 100 Sheriff's Department detectives are assisting with the case.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Stevenson was charged in a grand jury indictment after a weekslong investigation by detectives in the Delaware Department of Justice.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
No one was in custody for the double shootings and detectives were investigating.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Carillo said approximately 100 Sheriff's Department detectives are assisting with the case.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Stevenson was charged in a grand jury indictment after a weekslong investigation by detectives in the Delaware Department of Justice.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
No one was in custody for the double shootings and detectives were investigating.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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The report showed that the crash — like most crashes — wasn’t caused by one issue but instead by a cascading series of problems, former NTSB investigator Anthony Brickhouse told The Charlotte Observer.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
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Police soon cleared Piercy after his story checked out, and investigators say he could be heard on the 911 call doing CPR and trying to save Katlyn.—
Megan Kelly Brown,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In 2008, after the Democrats’ sweeping victory of the White House and Congress, the longtime Republican operative Ralph Reed began studying exit polls to understand why so many conservatives who wouldn’t have dreamed of voting for Al Gore or John Kerry had supported Obama.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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When their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances, the pair become CIA operatives.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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