detectives

NOUN

investigator of crime

Synonyms

STRONGEST

agent informer police officer private eye private investigator prosecutor reporter sleuth spy

STRONG

analyst bloodhound bull constable cop dick eavesdropper eye fed fink flatfoot gumshoe nark peeper roper scout sergeant shadow shamus shoofly snoop tail

WEAK

P. I. Sherlock Holmes bird dog plainclothes officer slewfoot

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:

detectives

After six years of unanswered questions, it was not the covert recordings, the diary entry, the animal trailer or the weapons that mattered most to detectives.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Harvey told detectives that he’d been around the shoe business since he was 16 years old, but otherwise refused to answer their questions, Sternin testified.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Watching from the gallery were several detectives from the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division and Halem’s sister, who wiped tears from her eyes as the sentence was read aloud.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

He and his detectives at first gave little regard to the dried blood on the front porch, said people familiar with the investigation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

She stuffed the piece of paper in her pocket and made a mental note to discuss it with her fellow Clue Crew detectives later.

From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene