detectives

NOUN

investigator of crime

Synonyms

STRONGEST

agent informer police officer private eye private investigator prosecutor reporter sleuth spy

STRONG

analyst bloodhound bull constable cop dick eavesdropper eye fed fink flatfoot gumshoe nark peeper roper scout sergeant shadow shamus shoofly snoop tail

WEAK

P. I. Sherlock Holmes bird dog plainclothes officer slewfoot

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

detectives

The next day, detectives went to the job of the man who reported the snake and spoke to him for several hours.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A source familiar with the investigation but not authorized to discuss it said detectives were pursuing several leads and that one led them to get a search warrant to begin digging at the property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

No doubt the TikTok amateur detectives would’ve momentarily shifted from true crime to the Chaplin twins, trying their damnedest to debunk what only the sisters could truly understand.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Dt Ch Insp Neil John said detectives were "pursuing a number of lines of inquiry, including efforts to identify and trace the rider of the moped".

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

"What are you, some kind of detectives?" she demanded.

From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene