detectives

noun

plural of detective
as in investigators
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the code used by the serial killer in his letters to the police was actually cracked by an amateur detective

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detectives Tallahassee police detectives have reviewed digital evidence and canvassed the area, police said in a statement Sunday. — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 The older brother, Marques Smith, said in an interview with detectives that they were dropped off from work at 29th Street and Indiana Avenue minutes before police officers were seen in the area, according to court records. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026 While searching the area, two other detectives spotted the Chevy parked at Southwest 64th Court and 88th Street. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 From the classic ‘Whodunit’ style to thrilling neonoirs, mystery novels have compelled readers to solve cases alongside detectives like Hercule Poirot. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026 Two women are charged in the 2007 shooting death of a man during a robbery in Lauderdale Lakes after a tip led detectives to an inmate at a women’s prison in north-central Florida. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 Roseville detectives posed as children on messaging apps during the investigation, which resulted in 19 people being arrested on felony charges, police said at the time. — Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026 Police said due to the nature of the attack, detectives believe there may be additional victims. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Working with the Orange County Crime Lab, detectives reexamined evidence collected during the original investigation. — Esther Lian, PEOPLE, 16 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detectives
  1. investigators
  2. operatives
Noun
  • When investigators approached him in 2010 about the investigation into his father’s killing, Douglas Herlihy referred them to his attorney.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Over 70 women came forward to investigators, reporting harrowing accounts of the brothers’ attacks, prosecutors said in their sentencing memo.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • The Administration’s tactics have reminded her of recent malicious acts in France tied to Russian operatives, such as the defacing of a Holocaust memorial with bloody handprints and the planting of a pig’s head outside a mosque.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The vote had faced concerns of possible foreign interference after Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail reported Republican operatives had assisted top separatist leaders with their independence bid.
    — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of operatives

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Cite this Entry

“Detectives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detectives. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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