investigator

investigator — noun

1. someone employed to look into crimes, accidents, or suspicious events to discove

1.名詞B1
釋義

someone employed to look into crimes, accidents, or suspicious events to discover the true facts — for example, a police officer gathering evidence at a burglary scene or an insurance agent checking whether a claim is genuine.

例句

Police investigators spent hours collecting fingerprints and DNA samples from the apartment.

collocation: police investigators

A private investigator named Hassan tracked down the stolen painting in a small town.

collocation: private investigator

同義詞
  • detective

    more specific — usually a police officer who investigates crimes, whereas investigator covers a broader range of settings

  • inspector

    often a rank within a police force or an official who checks compliance, e.g. a health inspector

  • examiner

    less formal and less authoritative; can refer to anyone who looks closely at something

文法句型

investigator + of + noun phrase

compound: [adjective] + investigator

用法筆記

Often used in compound job titles such as police investigator, private investigator, or fire investigator. Unlike detective, which in many places refers specifically to a police officer, investigator can describe a wider range of roles including insurance, fraud, and workplace-safety positions.

常見錯誤

❌The investigator examined the patient for symptoms.
✅The doctor examined the patient for symptoms.
💡an investigator looks into crimes and incidents, not medical conditions.
❌She hired an investigator to cook dinner.
✅She hired a private investigator to follow her husband.
💡the word refers to factual inquiry, not general services.

2. a person who carries out experiments or systematic studies as part of scientific

2.名詞B2
釋義

a person who carries out experiments or systematic studies as part of scientific or medical research — for example, a biologist testing a new vaccine or a psychologist running a study on sleep patterns.

例句

Medical investigators are testing a new drug that could help lung cancer patients.

collocation: medical investigator

The principal investigator on the project presented the results at a conference in Berlin.

collocation: principal investigator

同義詞
  • researcher

    broader — can include scholars who do not carry out hands-on experiments (e.g. historians); investigator emphasises empirical or clinical inquiry

  • scientist

    more general — a scientist may teach or theorise; an investigator is actively gathering data

  • experimenter

    narrower — one who conducts a specific experiment, not necessarily a long-term research programme

文法句型

investigator + into + noun phrase

investigator + on + noun phrase

principal + investigator

用法筆記

Common in formal academic and medical writing; principal investigator (PI) is the standard title for the researcher who leads a funded project. In some contexts investigator is used interchangeably with researcher, though investigator emphasises active, hands-on inquiry.

常見錯誤

❌The scientific investigator arrested the suspect.
✅The police investigator arrested the suspect.
💡a scientific investigator does not have law-enforcement authority.