sleuth
/slu:θ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A detective or investigator: A person, especially a private detective, who investigates crimes or mysteries, often by following clues or trails.
Verb:
- To investigate or act as a detective: To carry out an investigation, especially in a secretive or stealthy manner, observing and inquiring to uncover information.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The famous sleuth solved the case using only his powers of deduction.
- She hired a private sleuth to find evidence for her legal case.
Verb:
- The journalist decided to sleuth around the old warehouse for the story.
- They spent the weekend sleuthing online to find the origin of the rumor.
Advanced Usage
- "To sleuth out": To discover or uncover something through investigation.
- It took months for the researcher to sleuth out the truth behind the historical document.
Variants and Related Words
- Sleuthing (n/gerund): The act of investigating.
- His sleuthing finally provided the answers we needed.
- Sleuthhound (n, archaic): Literally a bloodhound used for tracking; figuratively, a keen investigator.
- The reporter was a real sleuthhound when it came to political scandals.
Synonyms
- Investigator (n): A person who carries out a formal inquiry.
- Detective (n): A person, especially a police officer, whose occupation is to investigate crimes.
- Probe (v): To physically explore or examine something with tools or questions.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Sleuth out: To find something by investigating (see "Advanced Usage" for example).
Related Idioms
- To play (the) sleuth: To engage in amateur investigation.
- The kids loved to play sleuth, searching for clues in the backyard.
Noun
- a detective who follows a trail
Verb
- watch, observe, or inquire secretly