Meaning
2 senses(informal, intransitive, uncommon)To be or act as or like a detective.
(informal, transitive, uncommon)To investigate or find information about (someone or something) as or like a detective.
Examples
359 sentencesThe detectives found no other evidence.
Детективи не виявили жодних доказів. — triantafillou
ruНикаких прочих улик сыщики не нашли. — Karok
Tom is a pretty good detective.
Том доволі непоганий детектив. — deniko
ruТом довольно хороший детектив. — Smoky
deTom ist ein ziemlich guter Detektiv. — wolfgangth
I felt like reading the detective story.
Мені здавалося, що я читаю детектив. — shanghainese
ruМне казалось, что я читаю детектив. — Hellerick
Did you know Tom was a detective?
Ти знав, що Том був детективом? — deniko
ruТы знал, что Том был детективом? — sharptoothed
Why don't you hire a private detective?
Чому б тобі не найняти приватного детектива? — miketheknight
ruПочему бы вам не нанять частного детектива? — marafon
deSchalte doch einen Privatdetektiv ein! — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Origin
The adjective is from Classical Latin dētēct-, past participial stem of dētegō (“to detectThe adjective is from Classical Latin dētēct-, past participial stem of dētegō (“to detect”), + -ive. By surface analysis, detect + -ive.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
detectives, detectiving, detectived, detectived| Base form | detective · to detective |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | detectives |
| Present participle | detectiving |
| Past simple | detectived |
| Past participle | detectived |
regular · Lesson
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
Collocations
12 patterns- a private detective
- private detective
- a homicide detective
- reading detective novels
- detective novels
- homicide detective
- reading detective stories
- hired a detective
- reading detective
- detective stories
- police detective
- the police detective