noun
adjective
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used in or serving for detection
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serving to detect
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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Vocabulary Review, Unit 1
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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.
Andre White, a detective with about a dozen years at the department, was in seventh, while Brendan Corbett, a former assistant sheriff for custody operations, was in last place.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Shabnam Chaudri, a former senior Met detective with 30 years' experience, rejected the idea anti-racism training could account for how officers responded the night Henry Nowak was killed.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
The detective said that if Grossman had been going 45 mph, the collision “wouldn’t have happened” because the boys would have been through the crosswalk.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Dowden also turned detective in the episode and delved into why her great-aunt was shot in 1888.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
The detective assigned to the case was Edmond Locard, an early criminologist.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
