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
Brooker created the untitled detective series and has written with Ben Caudell, Jason Hazeley, Emer Kenny, Daniel Maier and Joel Morris, with additional material by Victoria Asare Archer.
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Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
No arrests have been made and detectives are investigating, police said.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a man who was found on a staircase at a west Fort Worth apartment complex on Monday morning.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Suffolk County detectives are asking the public for more information on the incident.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
No arrests have been made and detectives are investigating, police said.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a man who was found on a staircase at a west Fort Worth apartment complex on Monday morning.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Suffolk County detectives are asking the public for more information on the incident.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detective
Noun
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After witnessing Nillo driving erratically after leaving the commissioner’s apartment building, investigators stopped her and seized the vehicle.—
Joey Flechas,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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This suspect has now been stopped in his tracks because of the diligent and tenacious work done by investigators at both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The report also detailed how its AI capabilities were being misused by North Korean operatives who used it to obtain remote jobs at tech companies.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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In September 2024, Israel blew up the group’s pagers, causing gruesome injuries as the devices detonated in Hezbollah operatives’ pockets.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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