detective

Everyday

1. A detective is a police officer or private worker whose job is to find out who did a crime and how. tree →
2. Anyone who looks closely at clues to solve a puzzle or mystery. tree →
3. As an adjective: about solving crimes, as in «detective story» or «detective work». tree →

In the lessons

Common in stories, TV shows and puzzle games. Phrases: «private detective», «detective story», «play detective», «do some detective work». In school, «be a maths detective» means look for clues in a problem to find the answer.

Examples

• The detective found a muddy footprint by the window. tree →
• Sherlock Holmes is a famous detective in stories. tree →
• My sister loves reading detective books. tree →
• Let's be maths detectives and find the missing number. tree →
• A private detective was hired to find the lost dog. tree →
• It took some detective work to find where my sock went. tree →
• The detective asked everyone where they had been. tree →

Note

Countable: a detective, two detectives. Informal shortenings: «detective» is sometimes «D.I.» (UK, detective inspector) or «a PI» (private investigator, US). Related: detect (verb), detection. A detective is not always a police officer — some are private.