sleuth

[slooth]

SEE MORE 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.

Origin of sleuth

First recorded in 1875–80; short for sleuthhound

Related formssleuth·like, adjectivesu·per·sleuth, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sleuth

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

Examples from the Web for sleuth

Contemporary Examples of sleuth

If only there were some massive government apparatus available to us to sift through the metadata and sleuth these fakers out.
PS 4 Beats Xbox One For Best New Video Game Console
Winston Ross
June 13, 2013
Some firms charge several thousands of dollars per hour for the sleuth work of a team of six to eight investigators.
Inside the Hunt for Assad’s Billions
Eli Lake
August 17, 2012
[Styleite] On the DL: Kate Bosworth was sleuth in announcing her engagement to actor Michael Polish.
Lady Gaga Covers Vogue With RuPaul Hair; Kate Bosworth Engaged
The Daily Beast
August 9, 2012
“Apana once climbed up walls like a pre-Spiderman sleuth and slipped into an opium dive,” writes Huang.
The Legend of Charlie Chan
Paul Devlin
September 5, 2010
That sleuth is Peter Darwin—no relation to Charles, thanks kindly.
Do I Have to Read Dick Francis?
William Boot
February 20, 2010

Historical Examples of sleuth

There was something very like the 194 sleuth in its attitude.
The Hound From The North
Ridgwell Cullum
Never was there a sleuth with his heart in his business as mine will be.
In Apple-Blossom Time
Clara Louise Burnham
All we've got to do now is to play the sleuth when he leaves the cabin.
The Call of the Beaver Patrol
V. T. Sherman
There wa'n't any need to do the sleuth act after Marjorie got started.
Torchy
Sewell Ford
"This," says the sleuth, haulin' out of his pocket a bulgy envelope.
Torchy, Private Sec.
Sewell Ford

British Dictionary definitions for sleuth

sleuth

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

Word Origin and History for sleuth

c.1200, "track or trail of a person," from Old Norse sloð "trail," of uncertain origin. Meaning "detective" is 1872, shortening of sleuth-hound "keen investigator" (1849), a figurative use of a word that dates back to late 14c. meaning a kind of bloodhound. The verb (intransitive) meaning "to act as a detective, investigate" is recorded from 1905. Related: Sleuthed; sleuthing.