Federal Bureau of Investigation

noun

1. See FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

1. An agency of the United States federal government, long headed by J. Edgar Hoover , which investigates violations of federal (rather than state or local) laws, including kidnaping, smuggling narcotics, and espionage.

Notes

Established in 1908 under the Department of Justice , the FBI earned its reputation in the 1920s and 1930s by apprehending notorious bank robbers and gangsters.