sleuth
Americannoun
-
a detective.
- Synonyms:
- shamus, gumshoe, private eye, private investigator, investigator
-
a bloodhound, a dog used for tracking.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
an informal word for detective
-
short for sleuthhound
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sleuth
First recorded in 1875–80; short for sleuthhound
Explanation
Sleuth is a fun, sometimes playful, word for "detective." As a verb, it's also what a detective does. When you seek clues, you sleuth. You, sleuth, you! The word sleuth comes from the Old Norse sloth, meaning "trail" and sleuthing is following a trail. One type of bloodhound skilled at following trails is called a sleuthhound, and that word was shortened to sleuth in the late 19th Century, referring to an investigator. As an amateur sleuth, you caught the robber dressed as a mummy before the police did. He would have escaped if not for you, you meddling sleuth!
Vocabulary lists containing sleuth
Lucky Broken Girl
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 29–November 4, 2022
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Restaurant Critic Pete Wells' Yummy Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Arable farmers may soon be able to stop slugs eating their crops thanks to research by a Shropshire-based university and the work of "slug sleuth" farmers.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Preparations for the event have been conducted in the utmost secrecy, with top reporters from the usually staid New York Times forced to sleuth through local hotels for hints of the guest list.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
"There are some similarities between me and my main character but she's much grumpier than me. I'd make a useless sleuth," said Perry.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
“At its center is Beast Mode: the 510’s legendary fixer and freelance sleuth whose rough exterior hides a code of loyalty and willingness to deal with problems others won’t touch,” the release reads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
And there she comes, strawberry-haired Nancy Drew, the girl sleuth, so American and so sure of herself, wearing a round collared blouse and a pencil skirt, wielding her magnifying glass.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Would-be sleuths with Ratajkowski’s essay and a gossip rag handy will have their work cut out for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Data collected by 28 "slug sleuths" has helped researchers from Harper Adams University find environmentally friendly slug control methods in the form of "prediction maps".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Their searching leads them to countless people, from journalists to police officials to a growing team of internet sleuths, who are compassionate and generous with their time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Previously, Fed moves were apparent only in market prices that Wall Street sleuths had to uncover in trading data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Calling a couple of his trusted sleuths, he hastily communicated the surprising news, and the three hurried with the clerk back to Greenwich street.
From Bidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison Fifteen Years in Solitude by Bidwell, Austin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
