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
And in a setup straight out of a whodunit: Meet Caltech’s four-member “fraud squad,” which vets every admitted student’s application—scrutinizing everything from science-fair certificate fonts to transcript signatures to combat AI-fueled cheating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Yet the writer-director has worked in other genres and his latest finds him trying his hand at a whodunit within the trappings of a historical drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 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
Tom Nolan solves the mystery of what to give nearly any reader: new editions of classic whodunits and fresh cases to solve as well.
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
I took note a moment ago that you mentioned the whodunits.
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.
