Free dictionary online: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, German, Russian translations, definitions, synonyms...
English Cobuild alternate English Thesaurus alternate
Google Widget
Other Dictionary Collaborative dictionary
detective  (detectives plural )
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. 
Detectives are appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious..., She hired a private detective in an attempt to find her daughter.  
2  adj A detective novel or story is one in which a detective tries to solve a crime. 
ADJ n 

private detective   (private detectives plural )A private detective is someone who you can pay to find missing people or do other kinds of investigation for you.  n-count  (=private investigator) 
store detective   (store detectives plural )A store detective is someone who is employed by a shop to walk around the shop looking for people who are secretly stealing goods.  n-count 



New user: Sign up
Existing user: Login