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 sleuthing

examine, discover, snoop, scrutinize, case, sleuth, notice, glimpse, scout, trail, watch, spot, search, meddle, tail, observe, reconnoiter, shadow, pry, peep

Examples from the Web for sleuthing

Contemporary Examples of sleuthing

Not only did she rebuff his awkward advance in person, she went home and did some sleuthing.
Online Shaming Gives Creeps the Spotlight They Deserve
Samantha Allen
September 23, 2014
In the beginning of the film, Veronica has washed her hands [of sleuthing].
Interview: Kristen Bell, Voiceover Queen, On ‘Frozen,’ ‘Veronica Mars,’ & More
Andrew Romano
December 18, 2013
For the reader, however, the sleuthing Scannon does is the point.
Will These Men Ever Come Home? The Search for Missing WWII Pilots in “Vanished”
Jordan Michael Smith
November 14, 2013
Reddit's attempt at sleuthing seems to have fallen very, very flat.
Amateur Hour
Megan McArdle
April 19, 2013
After some Internet sleuthing, The Daily Beast tracked down the culprit: 31-year old Milwaukee filmmaker Mike Stoklasa.
Star Wars YouTube Battle
Benjamin Sarlin
December 28, 2009

Historical Examples of sleuthing

“No future for you in this sleuthing business,” commented the old man tersely.
'Me-Smith'
Caroline Lockhart
But what is there to be sleuthing about in this sleepy little town of Sunnyside?
The Seven Sleuths' Club
Carol Norton
She did not want to be seen by 65 that other sleuthing person.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O
Clair Blank
She and Chub spent every minute they could sleuthing the office as he called it.
Joan of the Journal
Helen Diehl Olds
“I may want to call on you for some sleuthing,” explained Mary Louise.
The Mystery of the Fires
Edith Lavell

British Dictionary definitions for sleuthing

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 sleuthing

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.