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

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 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
  • Back at his Brickell apartment, detectives searched the unit after a judge signed off on a warrant.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • About a month after Craig’s death, police homicide detectives released security camera video of a suspect in the Oak Park fatal shooting.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of detective
Noun
  • The affidavit also stated that representatives for the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers told investigators that Love had never been employed by either organization.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Homicide investigators and crime scene technicians canvassed the area for evidence and witnesses.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of investigator

Browse Nearby Words

slept out
sleuth
sleuthhound
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All