English · Word Candidate

detective

/dɪˈtɛktɪv/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: detectives

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A police officer tasked with collecting evidence and information in order to solve a crime; an investigator.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

cảnh sát thu thập chứng cứ và thông tin để giải quyết tội phạm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

He worked as a detective with the agency for five years.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A person employed to find information not otherwise available to the public.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

người được thuê để tìm thông tin không công khai

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

[…] Sherlock Holmes remarked calmly. […] "Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I'm a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. Here in London we have lots of Government detectives and lots of private ones. When these fellows are at fault they come

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Employed in detecting.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

được sử dụng để phát hiện

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “detective” mean?

A police officer tasked with collecting evidence and information in order to solve a crime; an investigator.

Is “detective” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.