detective work
Americannoun
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the professional activities of a detective; the activities involved in uncovering clues and making deductions leading to the identification of suspects in a crime.
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any activity that involves making careful observations or seeking out facts that are difficult to access, analyzing the information, and drawing conclusions.
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.
Promoters of Colin Sutton's show claimed it would offer "an unforgettable evening of real-life detective work"
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
We spoke with a researcher about this digital detective work and steps you can take to help make sure any accounts you want to be anonymous stay that way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Online detective work is nothing new but has gained attention in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Years of detailed investigation followed, which Wright describes as "painstaking sleuthing and detective work."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2026
This was what Sherlock Holmes stories left out—the tedium of real detective work, the false leads and the dead ends.
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.
