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:
And I don’t think there’s another form of television or of literature that quite gets that as much as a well-crafted whodunit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
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
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
It was a big whodunit mystery for a whole week.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
Like most whodunits, this one is about reconstructing past events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The “Knives Out” whodunits are about classic filmmaking delights: smart scripts, sharp jokes and big stars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 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
The 30 Second Mysteries Calendar would be fun for anybody who binges whodunits.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021
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
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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.
