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
But then lo and behold, on Monday, those same sleuths (plus a few gossip mags) took a look at Trump’s Instagram.
—
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
Starring Uzo Aduba, Cordelia Cupp is a sleuth defined by her competence.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
Conan Doyle: creator of Sherlock Holmes and by extension all subsequent super sleuths with an eccentric character, eagle eye for detail, encyclopedic knowledge of unexpectedly useful trivia and the brain of a UNIVAC.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
Characters name-drop fictional sleuths like Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, and Benoit Blanc.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
Starring Uzo Aduba, Cordelia Cupp is a sleuth defined by her competence.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
Conan Doyle: creator of Sherlock Holmes and by extension all subsequent super sleuths with an eccentric character, eagle eye for detail, encyclopedic knowledge of unexpectedly useful trivia and the brain of a UNIVAC.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
Characters name-drop fictional sleuths like Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, and Benoit Blanc.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuth
Noun
-
Last fans saw, she was picked up by two New York Police Department officers who escorted her off a bus and told her detectives at the police station had questions for her about Famous' death.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
9 May 2025
-
Resurrection, a sci-fi detective movie from Chinese director Bi Gan (Long Day’s Journey Into Night), is a late addition to this year’s competition.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
According to the documents, investigators secured a search warrant for footage from inside the school and saw Morrison encourage other students to mentally and physically abuse a child at the school.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
-
On April 16, investigators determined her account was accessed from an IP address at a home where 44-year-old Maximilian Bondrescu lived.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share