noun
detective
dih-TEHK-tihv
noun
1
A police officer or investigator who gathers evidence to solve crimes.
"The detective questioned three witnesses before making an arrest."
2
A person hired privately to investigate and find information.
"She hired a private detective to find her missing brother."
How to Use Detective
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone whose job is investigating crimes or finding out hidden information.
Common pairings
private detective
detective inspector
detective novel
Word Forms
detectives plural
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The _____ questioned three witnesses before making an arrest.
Etymology
Shortened from "detective officer" — from Latin detegere, "to detect" or "uncover", plus -ive.