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:
In a tribute last week, Michael McKean, Curry's co-star in the 1985 comedy whodunit Clue, said that the ailing actor had been in a "grim physical state".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Joel Anderson, host of Slow Burn: Biggie and Tupac, argues that Tupac’s murder was never a whodunit.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 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
Audiences may not be overeager to find out whodunit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
But whenever you’re reading a whodunit, or watching Law and Order reruns on a Sunday night, you find yourself sorting through candidates to be the criminal on the grounds that they are “too obvious.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
A former private detective, Hammett grounded his narrative in a corrupt Montana mining town, replacing the cozy murders of traditional whodunits with a seamier view of vice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"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
There’s no denying the narrative elegance of outback noir: Like the grand country house in English whodunits, the bush town allows a small cast to be trapped in place as secrets and vendettas are unsnarled.
From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2022
I took note a moment ago that you mentioned the whodunits.
From We're Friends, Now by Mel Varga
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
