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sleuth

noun

ˈslüth How to pronounce sleuth (audio)
Definition of sleuthnext
as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the popular TV sleuth lives a much more action-packed life than do his real-world counterparts

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 sleuth Entertainment industry deaths Internet would-be sleuths have popped up in Zach’s Hickerson’s comments on social media this week. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Internet sleuths, predictably, have seized on this ambiguity as proof of malfeasance. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 Grasping each other, sleuth and villain plummet to their watery deaths at the foot of the Reichenbach Falls. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 In the last line of a Free Press from 1918, history sleuths found their answer. — Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuth
  1. detective
  2. investigator
Noun
  • Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel were gathering evidence and searching for witnesses Friday afternoon.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 19 Sep. 2026
  • No one was in custody as Belmont Area detectives continued their investigation.
    — Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of detective
Noun
  • Yet investigators have struggled to connect Einhorn and Urich with either the Bild case or Qatargate.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Investigating the crash The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration sent investigators on Wednesday to determine what caused the a Eurocopter AS350 B2 to go down.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of investigator

Browse Nearby Words

slept out
sleuth
sleuthhound
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Cite this Entry

“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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