whodunit
Americannoun
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whodunits
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of whodunit
1925–30; jocular formation from question Who done it?, for standard English Who did it?
Explanation
A whodunit is a mystery story that keeps the criminal's identity a secret until the very end. A well-written whodunit can keep you up late turning pages, eager for the ending to be revealed. If a book, play, or movie is a whodunit, there's usually a detective investigating what's almost always a murder case. The key to the plot, which is generally complex and confusing, is the question implicit in the informal whodunit: "Who (has) done it?" Since it was coined around 1930 in the U.S., this term has been common for a particular type of mystery or detective story.
Vocabulary lists containing whodunit
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.
See Examples For:
So it seems there are questions here of whodunit and also exactly what it is that they have done.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Taken alone as a whodunit, it isn’t of particular or surprising brilliance; none of the mini-mysteries to follow, in fact, are likely to set one reeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"We can't just watch the crime happen, so we have to work with all the clues we're given to figure out whodunit."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
As part of his dedicated care, George reads passages of murder mystery novels to the sheep nightly, a whodunit treat to cap off the day’s events.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
In these examples, look at the phrase containing the mg word and look at whodunit.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
The “Knives Out” whodunits are about classic filmmaking delights: smart scripts, sharp jokes and big stars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
Many Japanese crime writers have borrowed elements from the English whodunits of the 1920s and ’30s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
"Endeavour" meets the "Mystery!" stable's case-of-the-week qualification but the complexity of the whodunits is nothing compared to the intricacy of its character studies.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2023
Shogan has written a series of Washington-based whodunits, with titles like “Homicide in the House” and “Stabbing in the Senate.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
As the whodunits will tell you, one of the prime requisites is an accounting and proof of your whereabouts at the time of the deed!
From We're Friends, Now by Mel Varga
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.
