detective

American  

[dih-tek-tiv] / dɪˈtɛk tɪv /

noun

detectives plural

1. a member of the police force or a private investigator whose function is to obtain information and evidence, as of offenses against the law.

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adjective

1. of or relating to detection or detectives.

   a detective story.

2. serving to detect; detecting.

   various detective devices.

detective British  

/ dɪˈtɛktɪv /

noun

1. 1. a police officer who investigates crimes

   2. See private detective

   3. ( as modifier )

      a detective story

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adjective

1. used in or serving for detection

2. serving to detect

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• detectives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of detective

First recorded in 1830–40; detect + -ive

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.

Example Sentences

Sometimes I wish it were 1943 and I was in a suit playing a detective.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

One victim, identified only as "Ruby", is being supported by The Maggie Oliver Foundation, set up by Maggie Oliver, an ex-police detective turned whistleblower over grooming gangs.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Slate’s Laura Miller breaks down how we got from a neo-noir detective show to a series about … an alien?

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2026

A former private detective, Hammett grounded his narrative in a corrupt Montana mining town, replacing the cozy murders of traditional whodunits with a seamier view of vice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

I learned later that Mrs. Thayer sat down with this third man of her Future at his detective agency, and she provided a full confession about her lover’s wicked deed.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• agent
• informer
• police officer
• private eye
• private investigator
• prosecutor
• reporter
• sleuth
• spy