FluentPlex

detective

/dɪˈtɛktɪv/ verb C2
  1. To be or act as or like a detective. (informal, intransitive)
  2. To investigate or find information about (someone or something) as or like a detective. (informal, transitive)

He/she/it detectives · Past detectived · Past participle detectived · -ing form detectiving

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Verb forms

Base form
detective
He/she/it
detectives
Past
detectived
Past participle
detectived
-ing form
detectiving

From the library

Ferrier had just heard enough from the detective at the station to be able to give an idea of what had happened, and his story did not mend matters.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, p. 71 · B2
“I’d be very glad of a hint or two,” said the detective, changing his manner.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, p. 78 · B2
A tall, thin man with coloured glasses, whom I strongly suspected of being a plain-clothes detective, was pointing out some theory of his own, while the others crowded round to listen to what he said.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, p. 6 · C1
There was the clatter of running feet upon the pavement, and two policemen in uniform, with one plain-clothes detective, rushed through the front entrance and into the room.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, p. 23 · C1

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.