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
In 2024, the investigation led detectives to identify the man as Robinson, who was originally from South Carolina but had lived in Pueblo since 2017, deputies said.
—
Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The search for a suspect While Heskett underwent surgery to safely remove the knife from his abdomen, detectives started sifting through the evidence and law enforcement personnel from half a dozen agencies banded together for an all-out search of the area.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded, collecting evidence and statements from witnesses.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
As of Monday, detectives didn’t have any new developments to share, Williams said.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The search for a suspect While Heskett underwent surgery to safely remove the knife from his abdomen, detectives started sifting through the evidence and law enforcement personnel from half a dozen agencies banded together for an all-out search of the area.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded, collecting evidence and statements from witnesses.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
As of Monday, detectives didn’t have any new developments to share, Williams said.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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Hamilton County Coroner's Office investigators are looking for relatives or friends of a West End woman who died recently.—
Enquirer staff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Sep. 2025
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In mid-2020, investigators had a major breakthrough.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Privately, political operatives from both sides concede that government shutdowns are bad for both parties.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Once the candidate is defined with a platform backfilled with extensive details, then allow the political operatives to take that platform out into social media with an out-of-the-box approach like some of the earlier suggestions.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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