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.

Henderson said that detectives and specialist officers were supporting the victim and his family "at this difficult time".

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Upon further investigation, detectives found that Yang and her husband were under the care of their two daughters, 52-year-old Ingrid Wu and 53-year-old Rebecca Wu.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

During questioning, Sturgeon repeatedly answered "no comment" to detectives.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

He added detectives were dealing with some eight million documents and growing, with many of them needing to be forensically reviewed.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

“Guess we’re not such great detectives as we thought,” he whispered.

From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon