detectives

Noun

detective (plural detectives)

1. A police officer tasked with collecting evidence and information in order to solve a crime; an investigator.
   • He worked as a detective with the agency for five years.

   Synonyms:

   inspector, police detective, sleuth, DT, Det, Det.

2. A person employed to find information not otherwise available to the public.
   • […] Sherlock Holmes remarked calmly. […] "Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I'm a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. Here in London we have lots of Government detectives and lots of private ones. When these fellows are at fault they...1887, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Study in Scarlet”, in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward, Lock & Co., part I (Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., […])...

   Synonyms:

   private detective, private investigator, sleuth, bloodhound, Dick Tracy, Hercule Poirot, Jessica Fletcher, Miss Marple, Sherlock, dick

3. (rare, non-native speakers' English) A work of detective fiction.
   • Read books that are of interest to you (no matter what kinds of, I, for instance, read detectives, help a lot), try not to use Engl-Russ. Dict. while reading; […]1997 May 15, Mourzenko, “”, in relcom.humor (Usenet)

See all 6 meanings of detective