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

Nieto credited Flock cameras with helping detectives develop leads and track a vehicle of interest associated with the investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

On 21 September 2001, he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police's anti-terror branch and detectives began questioning him.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Jonathan and Juliet, who occasionally act as amateur detectives, are smitten with each other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler star in the latest DC Studios series on HBO, playing a pair of intergalactic detectives who work for the Green Lantern Corps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 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