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

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Etymology

Origin of detective

First recorded in 1830–40; detect + -ive

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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

See Examples For:

detective detectives

Then comes a brief but consequential romance with a charismatic New Orleans detective, whom she meets after being robbed on vacation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

A Claude detective investigated exactly how that work was done.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

The detective said that "a number of people" were evacuated from the hotel, along with staff from neighbouring premises.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

When playing real-life figures, she said: "You have to behave like a sort of detective."

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

“Hey! That gives me a great idea. You should call him Sherlock! You know, like the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.”

From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Berkeley Police Department officials said their detectives began investigating Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

While detectives examined the patterns around Bumper’s spending, they discovered that Segura appeared to be committing fraud of her own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

In late June, detectives carried out an investigative experiment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

But, the author tells us, it was Bell, through Holmes’s creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, who would inspire generations of real-life forensic detectives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Using more conventional means, however, the private detectives made a startling discovery.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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Related Words

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

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