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
Relevance
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
Williams herself had to become a sleuth to write the book.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
How online sleuths impact reality TV The open secret of reality TV is that the producers control the narrative.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Last year, there were a few, most notably when online sleuths uncovered past racist clips and posts from two of the Islanders (they were both ultimately kicked off the show mid-season following fan backlash).
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Unsurprisingly, online sleuths had some thoughts.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
How online sleuths impact reality TV The open secret of reality TV is that the producers control the narrative.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Last year, there were a few, most notably when online sleuths uncovered past racist clips and posts from two of the Islanders (they were both ultimately kicked off the show mid-season following fan backlash).
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Unsurprisingly, online sleuths had some thoughts.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuth
Noun
-
Authorities asked anyone with information about Moore's whereabouts to contact detectives at 803-358-7271 or Midlands Crimestoppers.—
Stephen Sorace , Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
Inbred eccentrics and bumbling detectives have populated the seaside villages of Bruno Dumont’s absurdist comedies.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Police say Crash Team investigators responded and assumed control over the investigation.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
-
And schools that delay submitting transfer paperwork until the last minute thinking investigators will be too busy to spot an error don’t understand the process.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
