noun
adjective
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used in or serving for detection
-
serving to detect
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of detective
Explanation
Whether it's a police detective who investigates crimes or a private detective hired to find a missing person, a detective is someone whose job is to find out hard-to-get information. Detective comes from the Latin root detectus meaning to uncover or expose. Detectives detect, or discern and uncover the truth, the way a dog might detect an odor and uncover a bone. Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the most famous detective in fiction, used disguises, deductive reasoning and forensics to solve crimes. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," he famously said.
Vocabulary lists containing detective
Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Syllabus
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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:
Perhaps if Short weren’t associated with a detective noir masterpiece, she would never have become a useful metaphor for the corruption and rot associated with Hollywood and Los Angeles, or an eternal enigma.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Jim Taylor, a former detective chief superintendent who was head of Opal until August, says the organisation is targeting multiple crime gangs.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
As many a TV detective likes to say, there are no such thing as coincidences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
A high profile former detective who led the investigation to catch Levi Bellfield, the murderer of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, Sutton comfortably won the election to become Norfolk's commissioner two months ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Question one could be attacked with detective work.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
“Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence,” on BritBox starting Wednesday, is “based on the stories and characters of Agatha Christie,” which the detectives among you have deduced has something to do with … Agatha Christie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
"Significant inquiries remain ongoing in relation to all of these incidents and we will continue to draw on detectives and specialist resources to identify anyone else involved."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Later, he said that authorities obtained video of three coming and going from the apartment from the complex’s security, which helped detectives with a search warrant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Sutton became one of the UK's most high-profile detectives in the 2000s, leading the investigation to catch serial killer Levi Bellfield, who murdered Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
But that’s the thing about keeping the company of detectives.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
