FBI

American

[ef-bee-ahy] / ˈɛfˈbiˈaɪ /

noun

U.S. Government.

Federal Bureau of Investigation: the federal agency charged with investigations for the Attorney General and with safeguarding national security.

FBI British

abbreviation

Federal Bureau of Investigation; an agency of the Justice Department responsible for investigating violations of Federal laws

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

“The FBI is on the scene,” Lyons said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The FBI said it was investigating along with the local sheriff’s office.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

They noted that Cuba's government allowed an FBI team to visit Cuba last week to conduct an independent investigation into a deadly shooting involving a US-registered boat.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Working with the FBI, Arlington police had finally solved the crime that summer through genetic genealogy, matching the killer’s DNA to relatives in a public database.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

“If the FBI is searching our house, Mom must owe someone lots of money. I’m talking millions of dollars, at least.”

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023