as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the popular TV sleuth lives a much more action-packed life than do his real-world counterparts
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Recent Examples of sleuth
Old mysteries will get solved, and new ones will arrive on the scene, with a small army of internet sleuths at the ready to solve them all.
—
Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
The sleuths have noted that a version of the Lively state complaint published by The Times carries the date ‘December 10’ even though the complaint wasn’t filed until more than a week later.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2025
Online sleuths noticed that Baldoni walked the red-carpet solo with his wife Emily at the Aug. 6 premiere in New York City.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Before his identification, many online had already posted their admiration for the gunman who shot Thompson, with online sleuths who relish in tracking people down showing little interest in finding the shooter’s identity.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
The sleuths have noted that a version of the Lively state complaint published by The Times carries the date ‘December 10’ even though the complaint wasn’t filed until more than a week later.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2025
Online sleuths noticed that Baldoni walked the red-carpet solo with his wife Emily at the Aug. 6 premiere in New York City.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Before his identification, many online had already posted their admiration for the gunman who shot Thompson, with online sleuths who relish in tracking people down showing little interest in finding the shooter’s identity.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sleuth
Cite this Entry
“Sleuth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuth. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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