• Detective

    Pronunciation

    • IPA: /dɪˈtÉ›ktɪv/

    Full definition of detective

    Noun

    detective

    (plural detectives)
    1. (law enforcement) A police officer who looks for evidence as part of solving a crime; an investigator.
      • 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, Well Tackled! Chapter 7, The detective kept them in view. He made his way casually along the inside of the shelter until he reached an open scuttle close to where the two men were standing talking. Eavesdropping was not a thing Larard would have practised from choice, but there were times when, in the public interest, he had to do it, and this was one of them.
    2. A person employed to find information not otherwise available to the public.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from detective

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