sleuth

[ slooth ]
/ sluθ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR sleuth ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a detective.
a bloodhound, a dog used for tracking.

verb (used with or without object)

to track or trail, as a detective.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sleuth

First recorded in 1875–80; short for sleuthhound

OTHER WORDS FROM sleuth

sleuth·like, adjectivesu·per·sleuth, noun

Words nearby sleuth

slenderize, slenderness ratio, slept, slesvig, sleswick, sleuth, sleuthhound, slew, slew rate, slewed, sley
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to sleuth

gumshoe, spy, cop, eavesdropper, agent, tail, investigator, sleuthhound, flatfoot, dick, tracker, bloodhound, P.I.

Example sentences from the Web for sleuth

British Dictionary definitions for sleuth

sleuth
/ (sluːθ) /

noun

an informal word for detective
short for sleuthhound (def. 1)

verb

(tr) to track or follow

Word Origin for sleuth

C19: short for sleuthhound, from C12 sleuth trail, from Old Norse sloth; see slot ²
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