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.

They do, particularly when police detectives and television crews arrive at the Pinnacle, which Mr. Mukherjee describes with the same keen wit he deploys in his Wyndham and Banerjee mystery series.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

“Our victims now have some closure thanks to the great work of our detectives and our strong partnership with State Attorney Suzy Lopez.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

It shows the motorhome inside a police compound with detectives - in white forensic suits - photographing some of the contents.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

As detectives go, he’s unusually sweet, optimistic, diplomatic, willing to give a villain a way out, closer to the Man Who Fell to Earth than to Sam Spade.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

Louis Lépine and Alphonse Bertillon, supposedly the finest detectives in Europe, were far behind the times.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day