noun
adjective
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
It was shortly after Russia’s retreat from Bucha that Ukraine’s government handed the case to Dulkay, a detective whose standard fare before the war was robbery, murder and organized crime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
"The only reason I trusted him was because he told me he was a detective in the police," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Maya Khosla, a wildlife biologist for hire and filmmaker and poet between gigs, was getting on-the-job training in a new role: detective.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Dr. Mike Hapgood, a Visiting Scientist and space weather expert at the UK's national space laboratory, RAL Space, described the research process as something resembling a detective investigation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Nell, this is our newest detective, Miss Hattie Lawton.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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
One of the challenges facing detectives on major cases investigations like the hunt for Sperino's killer is the sheer amount of evidence they dig up.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
“With these new developments, homicide detectives will continue to work diligently to solve his crime,” Price said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
After a deluge of hateful messages, another man misidentified as Winston Lee posted a personal appeal to TikTok detectives.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
I wasn’t sure if it was because of the tortured bird roosting atop my aunt’s bonnet, or my uncommon costume—or if it was because they’d never met lady detectives before.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
