How to Use detective in a Sentence

detective

1 of 2 adjective
  • We had to do some detective work to find out who used to own the property.
  • He enjoys reading detective novels.
  • This version of the game is less about fisticuffs and more about stealth and detective work.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • This is my kind of detective homework.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
  • It was supposed to set off a series of films about this detective team.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Some fans even put on their detective hats to crack the code of how old Pierre’s son is.
    — Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Stiles believes Coltrane is linked to the death of his detective trainee.
    — Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 15 May 2026
  • The unit now has six teams, each with four detectives and a detective sergeant.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2022
  • The film is a blend of sci-fi and classic detective movies from the ’40s.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Until now, his detective franchise has been a romp.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • One of my favorite parts of writing a book is the detective work of research.
    — Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Joe Ide writes a detective series in which each entry seems unique.
    — Tom Nolan, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2021
  • College kids and a detective team up to stop the impending threat.
    — Milan Polk, Men's Health, 13 Sep. 2022
  • Krell got lucky with that bit of detective work and found Patricia’s son.
    — Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
  • To figure this out, the researchers had to go into detective mode.
    — Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
  • They were exposed to patrol, detective work, the major crimes unit and the drug and gang unit.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • For Joe, this type of high-end soiree was the everyday world of his detective work.
    — Stayton Bonner, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Almost every endocrine case is a piece of detective work.
    — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
  • Your life is about to feel like a detective novel, so get out the magnifying glass!
    — Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Mar. 2022
  • Cook said parents will have to do a bit of detective work to see if the child is facing a test or hasn’t finished a project.
    — Elizabeth Chang, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2022
  • Looking for a witty mystery that blends high school drama with detective work?
    — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
  • The idea of the more detective, noirish Batman is just really fun.
    — The New Yorker, 29 May 2022
  • This season, Wednesday has taken on more of a detective role.
    — Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The story’s a bit convoluted, though no more than most detective plots.
    — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2022
  • When doing our detective work, Amazon is often the first stop.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Only his partner does any real detective work.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Still another was home to a detective agency and one once housed a casket maker.
    — Brian E. Clark, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
  • There was a decrease in people in the squads, in detective squads to investigate crimes.
    — Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The novels in this roundup suggest that detective work is about much more than just the crime – especially when done in teams.
    — Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2023
  • At home, Vlad’s father was engaged in a frantic, detective-like pursuit of his son.
    — Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 16 July 2022

detective

2 of 2 noun
  • She is a detective on the police force.
  • She hired a detective to follow her husband.
  • Detective Sgt. Lee is working on the case.
  • But one detective stood out to him for the wrong reasons.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
  • But, like a busy detective, Kreutzer has a lot of files on her desk.
    — Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
  • But questions about the detective work soon emerged.
    — Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The detective seemed to downplay the crimes.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026
  • John Luther is a detective who is pretty much a crook at the same time.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The detective rushed to the motel which is a six-minute drive from the murder scene.
    — Paul Larosa, CBS News, 3 May 2026
  • Both the chief and Leanne’s father were detectives in the case.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
  • His story changed when detectives told him about Limon’s phone records.
    — Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
  • That prompted detectives to take a deeper look at her.
    — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Of course, this cosmic detective story is far from over.
    — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 4 May 2026
  • The spokesperson added that there were no injuries, and detectives have now closed the case.
    — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
  • The twists and turns are winding, and the all-too-human detectives mean four times the flawed hero.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
  • Smith, meanwhile, presents as a detective.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
  • The deputy continued to fire, as did the detective.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
  • So what’s this relic of a detective doing smack in the middle of it?
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 May 2026
  • Santana was the lead detective and has since been promoted to sergeant as well.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
  • Whetstone said there are more than 90 such detectives.
    — Monroe Trombly, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
  • She was advised of her rights and agreed to speak with detectives, the documents say.
    — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Over time, detectives have focused on a robbery crew linked to a string of fast-food holdups that summer.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • At the end, the film returns to the whodunnit form with a scene in which the detective lays out the case.
    — Anna Russell, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Ethan and the detective become friends, and their scenes together are gold.
    — Dana Feldman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
  • What Nick didn't know at the time was that detectives were already building a case against him.
    — Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Video shows detectives attempt to get Brown's arms behind his back.
    — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
  • The north side of the park and roads in the area were closed for several hours while detectives processed the scene.
    — Nathan Pilling march 30, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Sitting across from Ruby’s blank stare, the detective tried again.
    — Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Several hours later, detectives were told the man had died.
    — Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Retired Waltham detective Tom Bryant is one of the lucky ones.
    — Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, 9 May 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'detective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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