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
The investigation remains active as detectives continue processing multiple crime scenes and conducting witness interviews.
—
Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Shih said detectives are investigating the fatal shooting as the city’s 10th homicide of the year.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
In the preliminary investigation, detectives learned there could be additional victims, and officers then found two men dead in separate locations.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Prosecutors said the detectives traced the vehicle to Jimenez and found him the following morning.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Shih said detectives are investigating the fatal shooting as the city’s 10th homicide of the year.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
In the preliminary investigation, detectives learned there could be additional victims, and officers then found two men dead in separate locations.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Prosecutors said the detectives traced the vehicle to Jimenez and found him the following morning.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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At Wednesday's news conference, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden described the scene investigators encountered.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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Residents and festivalgoers were urged to avoid the area and expect a significant law enforcement presence as officers continue their search and investigators work to determine what led to the shooting.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Known for projects like Army of the Dead and a number for DC, including Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Snyder is currently in post on The Last Photograph, a drama following an ex-DEA operative and war photographer in search of a pair of missing children in South America.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
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To complete the task, Rachel needs to bring in a pair of expert extractors, Sid (Cavill) and Bronco (Gyllenhaal), and their team of covert operatives because Manny lives on an island guarded by a private army whose members are locked and loaded with high-tech weaponry.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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