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 jury accepted the prosecution's case that Robinson had hired detectives to "intimidate" the journalists.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

In late June, detectives carried out an investigative experiment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

That led detectives on Wednesday to the DesignerDeals4Less warehouse in the 21000 block of Nordhoff Street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

After a deluge of hateful messages, another man misidentified as Winston Lee posted a personal appeal to TikTok detectives.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

The detectives, hiding in another room, began listening to the staticky voices of Rose and her boyfriend through earphones.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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