as in investigators
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 detectives
The footage reviewed by detectives showed Sanchez grabbing Tole and throwing him up against a wall.
—
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Some detectives spoke about how investigating a police shooting affected them personally.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
Asked at a news conference Monday about what the family said regarding threats, Police Chief Eddie Garcia said that homicide detectives are still investigating all the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025
Through an investigation, police said detectives identified the 25-year-old mother as the woman from the video.
—Daniella Segura, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
During his confession, Jones said the Nestors hired him to clean around their business — and told detectives what led up to the killings.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Yan Wang allegedly arrived at the home as police were doing their initial investigation and spoke with detectives, claiming to be a friend and colleague of Howard Wang’s, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives at 504-658-5300.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
As of Monday, detectives didn’t have any new developments to share, Williams said.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Sep. 2025
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Some detectives spoke about how investigating a police shooting affected them personally.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
Asked at a news conference Monday about what the family said regarding threats, Police Chief Eddie Garcia said that homicide detectives are still investigating all the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025
Through an investigation, police said detectives identified the 25-year-old mother as the woman from the video.
—Daniella Segura, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
During his confession, Jones said the Nestors hired him to clean around their business — and told detectives what led up to the killings.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Yan Wang allegedly arrived at the home as police were doing their initial investigation and spoke with detectives, claiming to be a friend and colleague of Howard Wang’s, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives at 504-658-5300.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
As of Monday, detectives didn’t have any new developments to share, Williams said.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detectives
Noun
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The crash caused the highway to close for almost 12 hours as investigators and first responders navigated the devastating scene.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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Vital witnesses were killed in the blast All 16 people inside the facility died in the blast, leaving behind a devastated network of coworkers and loved ones as well as depriving investigators of crucial accounts of the final moments leading up to the explosion.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Still, the case added to suspicions about the role of Russian operatives in using drones to probe EU defenses.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Congress passed the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which allowed the President to employ limited wartime powers against Al-Qaeda operatives.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detectives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detectives. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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