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
Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett star in this true-crime series about an arson investigator and a detective searching for a serial arsonist.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 24 June 2025
And Natasha Lyonne, who plays amateur detective Charlie Cale, wears almost as many hats: actress, director, writer and producer.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Jamie McBride is an LAPD detective with 35 years of experience on the force.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025
Forced to be an armchair detective, he’s assisted in his sleuthing by girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly, utterly gorgeous and talking in a tiny voice that sounds as if her throat had been chilled with a constant supply of ice drops).
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 24 June 2025
And Natasha Lyonne, who plays amateur detective Charlie Cale, wears almost as many hats: actress, director, writer and producer.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Jamie McBride is an LAPD detective with 35 years of experience on the force.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025
Forced to be an armchair detective, he’s assisted in his sleuthing by girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly, utterly gorgeous and talking in a tiny voice that sounds as if her throat had been chilled with a constant supply of ice drops).
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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Fishy past Two decades ago, federal investigators alleged Marky’s was one of those companies caught in black market dealings.—
Kylie Williams,
Miami Herald,
29 June 2025
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State and city fire investigators say the Saddleridge fire began under one of those towers.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
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According to a 1996 Los Angeles Times piece, an 18th Street operative pitched his plan for taking over Orange County in a back alley in Cudahy, with two dozen associates in tow.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2025
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The Mossad, Israel’s equivalent of the CIA, had personnel in Iran ready for the launch of Operation Rising Lion, something that was revealed in unprecedented fashion when the agency released video of its operatives at work.—
Rachel Wolf , Yonat Friling,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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