detective

[dih-tek-tiv] / dɪˈtɛk tɪv /

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.

Agatha agrees: “We may not be real detectives, but no one can match us for solving puzzles.”

From The Wall Street Journal

For this one, first of all, it is a little closer to actually a traditional detective structure.

From Los Angeles Times

His father Rod Rose, a serving detective chief inspector with the force at the time, helped Theo lodge a complaint with its professional standards department.

From BBC

Fish was introduced to the genre on the cusp of his teen years through an episode of the British detective show “Inspector Morse.”

From Los Angeles Times

The sad detective is nothing new, but Skarsgård and Walker are perhaps the most charming and heartbreaking “haunting” since “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.”

From Los Angeles Times

detective

Example Sentences

Related Words