Thesaurus results for SLEUTH

sleuth

noun

ˈslüth

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 But eagle-eyed social media sleuths have pointed out one possible problem - the picturesque place of worship nestled in the green hills of Virginia featured on the cover appears to show a United Methodist church, not a Catholic one. —

Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026 That wasn’t the only item of note internet sleuths found. —

Frank Landymore, Futurism, 1 Apr. 2026 For decades, the Zeigler case has fascinated the public around the world, leading to television shows, books, documentaries and a variety of crime sleuths creating various conspiracy theories. —

Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026 Jamie Lee Curtis stars as mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, the role that Angela Lansbury originated on the long-running CBS show. —

Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sleuth

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuth

Noun

In 2022, six weeks after a new police commissioner formed the Gilgo Beach task force, detectives identified Heuermann as a suspect by using a vehicle registration database to connect him to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
No one was in custody for the fatal attack, and detectives were investigating.

— Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026