noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK, US:/ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:HH UW0 D AH1 N IH0 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: detective novel, detective story, mystery story
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: thriller
2
noun
Meaning 2
a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mystery, mystery story
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: story
Narrower terms: detective story, murder mystery
History
Etymology
Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. An alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.
Across languages
Translations
44 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
偵探小說 /侦探小说
(zhēntàn xiǎoshuō)
— a crime novel or drama
Chinese Mandarin:
犯罪小說 /犯罪小说
(fànzuì xiǎoshuō)
— a crime novel or drama
Czech:
detektivka
— a crime novel or drama
Danish:
krimi
— a crime novel or drama
Danish:
kriminalroman
— a crime novel or drama
Danish:
kriminalfilm
— a crime novel or drama
Dutch:
detectiveverhaal
— a crime novel or drama
Dutch:
krimi
— a crime novel or drama
Finnish:
salapoliisitarina
— a crime novel or drama
Finnish:
dekkari
— a crime novel or drama
French:
roman policier
— a crime novel or drama
German:
Kriminalroman
— a crime novel or drama
German:
Krimi
— a crime novel or drama
German:
Detektivroman
— a crime novel or drama
Hungarian:
krimi
— a crime novel or drama
Hungarian:
detektívregény
— a crime novel or drama
Hungarian:
bűnügyi regény
— a crime novel or drama
Italian:
giallo
— a crime novel or drama
Japanese:
推理小説
(suiri shōsetsu)
— a crime novel or drama
Japanese:
犯罪小説
(hanzai shōsetsu)
— a crime novel or drama
Japanese:
クライム・ノベル
(kuraimu-noberu)
— a crime novel or drama
Korean:
추리소설
(churisoseol)
— a crime novel or drama
Korean:
범죄물
(beomjoemul)
— a crime novel or drama
Macedonian:
кримич
(krimič)
— a crime novel or drama
Norwegian Bokmål:
kriminal
— a crime novel or drama
Norwegian Bokmål:
krim
— a crime novel or drama
Norwegian Bokmål:
kriminalroman
— a crime novel or drama
Norwegian Bokmål:
kriminalfilm
— a crime novel or drama
Polish:
kryminał
— a crime novel or drama
Polish:
powieść kryminalna
— a crime novel or drama
Polish:
powieść detektywistyczna
— a crime novel or drama
Portuguese:
romance criminal
— a crime novel or drama
Romanian:
roman polițist
— a crime novel or drama
Russian:
детекти́вный рома́н
(dɛtɛktívnyj román)
— a crime novel or drama
Russian:
детекти́в
(dɛtɛktív)
— a crime novel or drama
Upper Sorbian:
kriminalny roman
— a crime novel or drama
Upper Sorbian:
kriminalka
— a crime novel or drama
Upper Sorbian:
krimi
— a crime novel or drama
Spanish:
novela policíaca
— a crime novel or drama
