1
as in researcher
one who observes or studies by close examination and systematic inquiry
investigators who discovered new evidence that the universe was much older than had been previously estimated
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2
as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the investigator in charge of the case was touted as an expert at tracing stolen art
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Recent Examples of investigator
Per the outlet, there was also reportedly a scene in which investigators arrived at Neverland Ranch to search for evidence in the wake of the allegations.
—
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
Limon’s brother told the Times that by Sunday, investigators had traced the pair off campus.
—Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The outlet was also told that in the original script, there was a scene of investigators searching Jackson's Neverland Ranch estate for evidence.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The series generated new information, leads and witness cooperation that had previously been unknown to investigators.
—Francie Ebert, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for investigator
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
Limon’s brother told the Times that by Sunday, investigators had traced the pair off campus.
—Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The outlet was also told that in the original script, there was a scene of investigators searching Jackson's Neverland Ranch estate for evidence.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The series generated new information, leads and witness cooperation that had previously been unknown to investigators.
—Francie Ebert, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for investigator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for investigator
Noun
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The researcher acknowledges that much more work is needed to identify the sources of fluctuations in the time-delay signals detected by the device.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Apr. 2026
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Their discovery supports the theory, suggested by researcher Stijn van den Hoven in 2019, that a second entrance might exist at that location.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Senior Deputy District Attorney Devan Portillo, of the DA Office’s special prosecutions unit, handled the case, with support from a Placer County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to the county’s Opioid Response Team.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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After a lengthy investigation found there was no evidence to suggest that the crash was intentional, detectives determined that Gutierrez likely fell asleep at the wheel.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/investigator. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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