as in investigator
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the code used by the serial killer in his letters to the police was actually cracked by an amateur detective
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Recent Examples of detective
Around the same time, Provo detectives learned Peay had been adopted at birth, the department said.
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Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 21 Mar. 2025
Sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a person who was found Thursday buried on family property in Valley Center, officials said Friday.
—Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Courts that have reviewed the case since have said their rights were violated in a number of ways during the initial investigation by the state and New Milford police detectives.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 20 Mar. 2025
Following the incident, Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad detectives allegedly seized two firearms.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 21 Mar. 2025
Sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a person who was found Thursday buried on family property in Valley Center, officials said Friday.
—Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Courts that have reviewed the case since have said their rights were violated in a number of ways during the initial investigation by the state and New Milford police detectives.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 20 Mar. 2025
Following the incident, Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad detectives allegedly seized two firearms.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detective
Cite this Entry
“Detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detective. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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