sleuth
Americannoun
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a detective.
- Synonyms:
- shamus, gumshoe, private eye, private investigator, investigator
-
a bloodhound, a dog used for tracking.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
an informal word for detective
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short for sleuthhound
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sleuth
First recorded in 1875–80; short for sleuthhound
Explanation
Sleuth is a fun, sometimes playful, word for "detective." As a verb, it's also what a detective does. When you seek clues, you sleuth. You, sleuth, you! The word sleuth comes from the Old Norse sloth, meaning "trail" and sleuthing is following a trail. One type of bloodhound skilled at following trails is called a sleuthhound, and that word was shortened to sleuth in the late 19th Century, referring to an investigator. As an amateur sleuth, you caught the robber dressed as a mummy before the police did. He would have escaped if not for you, you meddling sleuth!
Vocabulary lists containing sleuth
Lucky Broken Girl
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 29–November 4, 2022
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Restaurant Critic Pete Wells' Yummy Words
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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.
ABC’s ‘R.J. Decker’ stars Scott Speedman as the titular detective reminiscent of Jim Rockford, whereas Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock’ gives Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuth an origin story.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
A data sleuth named Sholto David first flagged irregularities in some of Dana-Farber’s researchers’ papers in January 2024, and contacted the cancer institute and Harvard Medical School.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
George Cross, the hero of a mystery series by Tim Sullivan, is an unconventional sleuth in the great British tradition that extends from Father Brown to the Thursday Murder Club.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
Glenn Whipp bemoans the unlikelihood of Daniel Craig earning an acting nod as sly sleuth Benoit Blanc.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025
In detective stories, when the sleuth revisits the scene of the crime, he nearly always finds a clue that has been overlooked by the ordinary police.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Definitions 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.
