noun
adjective
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary Review, Unit 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
The revelation inspired a small genre of internet consumer detective work.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Saavedra, a former detective and federal task force officer, admitted in his plea agreement that his company began providing security to Iza around August 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
She’s got no formal training as a detective, but it’s her rich understanding of character and psychology gained from a lifetime of observing people that allows her to solve things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
An ex-police detective who led the initial investigation into grooming gangs in Oxford agrees.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"It's not easy being a detective, Daddy," Nancy said that night at dinner.
From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene
The girl was reported missing at about 23:20 BST on Sunday and she was later found in the park near the cricket ground in Elmley Castle, near Evesham, detectives said.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Several gasps and sobs erupted from some of the victims’ relatives as the verdict was read, and they later shared hugs with prosecutors and detectives on the case in a courthouse hallway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The next day, detectives went to the job of the man who reported the snake and spoke to him for several hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
No doubt the TikTok amateur detectives would’ve momentarily shifted from true crime to the Chaplin twins, trying their damnedest to debunk what only the sisters could truly understand.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Yet from the outset the fascination with private detectives was mixed with aversion.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
