detective
Pluraldetectives
Pluraldetectives
- 1A police worker who looks for clues and facts to find out who did a crime.
Like a person who follows a trail of clues to find out what really happened.
The detective questioned everyone who lived on the street.
Two detectives arrived to look at the broken window.
Similarinvestigator, sleuth
Note
- 2A person paid to find facts that ordinary people cannot easily get.
Like someone you pay to find out a secret you cannot uncover yourself.
The family hired a detective to find their missing son.
A detective spent weeks quietly following the runaway husband.
Similarinvestigator, sleuth
Note
- 3Used for finding out about crimes or hidden facts.
The detective work took many weeks to finish.
She joined the detective branch of the city police.
Similarinvestigative, investigatory
Note
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Origin
The adjective comes from Latin, from a form of the word meaning "to detect," plus "-ive." The noun is a short form of "detective policeman" or "detective officer."