Crime Investigation Terms

noun a person who conspires with others to commit an illegal or wrongful act

• The coconspirator was found guilty of participating in the criminal scheme.
• They caught the coconspirator red-handed during the heist.
• The coconspirator was in cahoots with the main suspect.
• She felt like a coconspirator in their plan to overthrow the company.

noun a system or network for apprehending criminals or suspects

• The police set up a dragnet to catch the thief.
• The cops are using a dragnet to find the suspect.
• The authorities have cast a dragnet to nab the criminal.
• The company's marketing campaign was like a dragnet, capturing the attention of potential customers.

noun a person who is passing by, especially casually or by chance

• The passerby stopped to ask for directions.
• A passerby just asked me for the time.
• Yo, did you see that passerby check out the new store?
• Like a passerby in the night, he came and went without a trace.