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
Fort Worth homicide detectives are investigating after a body was found beneath an underpass Thursday, officials with the Fort Worth Police Department said.
—
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2025
During the operation, Hodge sold more than 200 grams of methamphetamine to undercover detectives, police said.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Serbian medical detective story Guardians of the Formula about the first bone marrow transplant during the Cold War years.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2025
The cast, made up of characters ranging from hard-nosed detectives to concerned relatives to slippery suspects, features several great overseas actors, including Naomi Ackie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Daniel Mays, Richard E. Grant and Tom Ellis.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2025
During the operation, Hodge sold more than 200 grams of methamphetamine to undercover detectives, police said.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Serbian medical detective story Guardians of the Formula about the first bone marrow transplant during the Cold War years.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2025
The cast, made up of characters ranging from hard-nosed detectives to concerned relatives to slippery suspects, features several great overseas actors, including Naomi Ackie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Daniel Mays, Richard E. Grant and Tom Ellis.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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After working with a local towing company to remove the car from the water, investigators then matched the car’s vehicle identification number to Roy Benn, who went missing in September 1967, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.—
Gordon Ebanks,
CNN Money,
16 Aug. 2025
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Police ask that anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have information valuable to investigators call detectives at 203-946-6304 or through the department’s anonymous tip-line at 866-888-TIPS (8477).—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Of the approximately 200 media operatives killed in Gaza in 22 months of war, around 50 have been deliberately targeted, while many others were killed in strikes impacting civilians in the strip, rather than while reporting, Thibaut Bruttin, RSF's director general, told Newsweek.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
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Butterfly follows David, a former special operative, who finds out that his estranged daughter, Rebecca, is working for the same dark spy agency, Caddis, that he was forced to flee.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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