police detective
27
2.7
- noun
- /pəˈliːs dɪˈtɛktɪv/
:
detective de policía
- The police detective gathered evidence at the crime scene to solve the case.
One of them was a police detective, one was a prison guard.
- One of them was a police detective, one was a prison guard.
- And he was acting the ACT very convincingly as the former police detective and speaking very convincingly.
- It's basically about a police detective or a police police officer who is solving all these crimes.
Examples
-
Now police detectives have been working through the night and have collected evidence, that they are confident will bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.
-
A good researcher or police detective would not rule out such possibilities so quickly.
Blog text (6) -
One of them was a police detective, one was a prison guard.
-
The federal agents did not have arrest authority, but the police detective did.
Academic text (2018) -
Heather, a police detective, is taking care of me.
-
After graduating from high school, she wants to attend college and become a police detective.
Academic text (2013) -
MOM opens the door to two police detectives in plain clothes.
Fiction book (1994) -
A police detective investigating these heinous crimes has now gone missing.
-
Two male police detectives, Peter and Lloyd, are getting out of an unmarked car.
Fiction book (1999) -
Sam Purdy was a Boulder police detective and a good friend.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
∞
2.7
A police officer who investigates crimes and finds out what happened
756
3.4
A police officer who looks into crimes to find evidence
14
5.6
A person who investigates crimes and follows clues
5
8.4
A detective who works quietly and follows people to find facts
3
9.9
A police officer who investigates crimes and finds who did them
A police officer who wears ordinary clothes while working to avoid attention
A person who carefully follows clues to solve mysteries
How Experienced
- UK
285
3.0
27
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'police' (law-enforcement organization) modifies 'detective' (an investigator), so the meaning is simply a detective who works for the police. This head‑modifier compound follows a common cross‑linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the combined meaning.
Etymology
Police detective shows a police officer whose job as a detective is to find and uncover hidden facts by following clues, talking to witnesses, and collecting evidence. That's why it means 'to investigate crimes and gather evidence'.