Words / B1

di-TEKT-iv/dɪˈtektɪv/

A detective is a police officer who investigates crime: a detective inspector; detectives appealed for witnesses. Detect is the verb (already in the dictionary). Officer is wider. Do not call every police officer a detective. Crime news: detectives from CID.

Meaning

A police officer whose job is to investigate crimes.

Examples

• “Detectives appealed for dash-cam footage after the crash.”
• “A detective inspector led the fraud inquiry.”

Good to know

a detective; detectives appealed. Verb: detect. Rank: detective inspector/constable. Wider: a police officer. Not a traffic warden.

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