Glossary
Detective Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential detective terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key detective vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in detective training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Canvass
- Going door to door for witnesses.
- Case file
- All records for an investigation.
- Chain of custody
- Documentation of evidence handling.
- Clearance rate
- The share of cases solved.
- Deposition
- Sworn testimony outside court.
- Digital forensics
- Recovering evidence from devices.
- Exculpatory evidence
- Evidence that may clear a suspect.
- Grand jury
- A jury that decides whether to indict.
- Informant
- A person who provides information.
- Latent print
- A fingerprint not visible to the eye.
- Lead
- Information that may advance a case.
- Miranda warning
- Rights read before custodial interrogation.
- Modus operandi
- A criminal’s method of operation.
- Probable cause
- Reasonable grounds for a search or arrest.
- Search warrant
- A court order allowing a search.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Detective practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Detective training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.