detective

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detective Nice to see Michael Beach, as a detective, too. Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 21 Oct. 2025 The book is based in part on the authors' relationships with Nashville police detectives Bill Pridemore and Pat Postiglione. Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025 Noel Browne recently retired as a detective inspector and a senior investigations officer with An Garda Síochána. Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025 Undercover detectives found and followed the vehicle to a Speedway gas station where Benefiel's mother and two other men were parked at a pump. Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
  • No injuries were reported, but investigators recovered two pieces of shrapnel measuring approximately one to two inches long.
    Christina Shaw, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • French authorities swarmed the museum in the 24 hours following, with photographs from outside the famed museum showing forensics investigators searching the scene for clues.
    Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The president revoked Bolton’s Secret Service detail earlier this year, even as Iranian operatives remained under an indictment for plotting to assassinate him.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2025
  • On Monday, dozens of Hamas operatives were seen at a hospital in southern Gaza during the release of Israeli hostages.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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