sleuth

American  

[slooth] / sluθ /

noun

sleuths plural

1. a detective.

   Synonyms:

   shamus, gumshoe, private eye, private investigator, investigator

2. a bloodhound, a dog used for tracking.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to track or trail, as a detective.

sleuth British  

/ sluːθ /

noun

1. an informal word for detective

2. short for sleuthhound

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verb

1. (tr) to track or follow

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supersleuth
  noun
• sleuthlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sleuths
  plural

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sleuth sleuths

Arable farmers may soon be able to stop slugs eating their crops thanks to research by a Shropshire-based university and the work of "slug sleuth" farmers.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Preparations for the event have been conducted in the utmost secrecy, with top reporters from the usually staid New York Times forced to sleuth through local hotels for hints of the guest list.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

The Continental Op, the nameless sleuth in Dashiell Hammett’s “Red Harvest,” introduced the country to a hard-boiled aesthetic that would define much of the American crime genre.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

“At its center is Beast Mode: the 510’s legendary fixer and freelance sleuth whose rough exterior hides a code of loyalty and willingness to deal with problems others won’t touch,” the release reads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

And there she comes, strawberry-haired Nancy Drew, the girl sleuth, so American and so sure of herself, wearing a round collared blouse and a pencil skirt, wielding her magnifying glass.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar

For posts beyond the reach of my inbox, there’s a risk in putting that information out there because nefarious sleuths can figure out more than you think.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Some are by amateur forensic analysts and would-be internet sleuths with podcast names like The Murder Men that dissect the killing as if it’s a 1980s cold case.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

Data collected by 28 "slug sleuths" has helped researchers from Harper Adams University find environmentally friendly slug control methods in the form of "prediction maps".

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Independent journalists, online sleuths and criminal case followers traveled from across the country to track developments on the missing child’s case.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

One after another witness for the defense scaled the stand, sleuths from over seas, experts and servants.

From The Perfume of Eros: A Fifth Avenue Incident by Saltus, Edgar

Related Words

• gumshoe
• private detective
• private eye