• Crimebuster

    Alternative forms

    Full definition of crimebuster

    Noun

    crimebuster

    (plural crimebusters)
    1. (chiefly US, informal) A person, especially a law enforcement officer, who is particularly effective in thwarting criminal activity and in bringing criminals to justice.
      • 1938, Louther S. Horne, "Loesch Tells How to Beat Crime: A Need is Seen for Fearless Prosecutors," New York Times, 10 Apr., p. 120:This corporation law background is less known than his record as a crime-buster.
      • 1976, "Dipping into the Cookie Jar," Time, 2 Aug.:Bit by bit, J. Edgar Hoover's image as an incorruptible crimebuster has crumbled since his death in 1972.
      • 2009, Joel Rubinoff, "Swayze breathes life into killing" (TV review), Toronto Star, 22 Jan. (retrieved 22 Jan. 2009):Swayze's ruthless crimebuster never hesitates—and as he plugs street scum full of bullets and pursues his own form of frontier justice with a hard, penetrating squint, we find ourselves rooting for a character who, in lesser hands, could be perceived as downright ugly.

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