detective

detective
[[t]dɪte̱ktɪv[/t]]
♦♦♦
detectives
1) N-COUNT A detective is someone whose job is to discover what has happened in a crime or other situation and to find the people involved. Some detectives work in the police force and others work privately.

Now detectives are appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious last night...

She hired a private detective in an attempt to find her daughter.

2) N-TITLE; N-VOC In Britain `detective' is used before words such as `constable' or `sergeant', and in the U.S. the word `detective' is used on its own, to indicate that a police officer is a member of the department concerned with investigating crimes.

...Detective Inspector Ian Mosley.

...Detective Nardosa of the New York City Police Department.

3) ADJ: ADJ n A detective novel or story is one in which a detective tries to solve a crime.
4) PHRASE If you do some detective work, you do something to find out more about a subject or situation that puzzles you.

Despite careful detective work, many items have never been recovered.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Detective — Détective Pour les articles homonymes, voir Détective (homonymie). Vidocq : fondateur, en 1833, du Bureau des Renseignements …   Wikipédia en Français

  • détective — [ detɛktiv ] n. • 1871; détectif 1867; angl. detective, de to detect « découvrir », du lat. detegere 1 ♦ En Grande Bretagne, Policier chargé des enquêtes, des investigations. Les détectives de Scotland Yard (cf. Inspecteur de police). 2 ♦… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • detective — de·tec·tive n: a person engaged or employed in detecting lawbreakers or in getting information that is not readily or publicly accessible a police detective hired a private detective Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • detective — (n.) 1850, short for detective police, from detective (adj.), 1843; see DETECT (Cf. detect) + IVE (Cf. ive) …   Etymology dictionary

  • detective — /deˈtɛktiv, ingl. dɪˈtɛktɪv/ [vc. ingl., abbr. di detective policeman «poliziotto (policeman), che protegge (detective)»] s. m. inv. investigatore, poliziotto privato, agente investigativo □ segugio (gerg.) …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • detective — sustantivo masculino,f. 1. Persona que realiza como profesional investigaciones por encargo de clientes: detective privado, agencia de detectives. Es un detective especializado en asuntos familiares. Sinónimo: investigador. 2. Funcionario del… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • detective — [dē tek′tiv, ditek′tiv] adj. 1. of or for detection 2. of detectives and their work n. 1. [short for detective policeman] a person on a police force, whose work is investigating and trying to solve crimes 2. [short for private detective] a person …   English World dictionary

  • Detective — De*tect ive, a. Fitted for, or skilled in, detecting; employed in detecting crime or criminals; as, a detective officer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • detective — |èt| s. m. Agente de polícia ou investigador particular cuja função é investigar crimes, obter informações e provas difíceis de encontrar.   ‣ Etimologia: inglês detective   ♦ [Portugal] Grafia de detetive antes do Acordo Ortográfico de 1990.   ♦ …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • detective — (Del ingl. detective). com. Policía particular que practica investigaciones reservadas y que, en ocasiones, interviene en los procedimientos judiciales …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • Detective — De*tect ive, n. One who business it is so detect criminals or discover matters of secrecy. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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