Whodunit
noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
"Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows the same rules."
- 2 a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie wordnet
Example
More examples"Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows the same rules."
Etymology
Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. Alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.
Related phrases
More for "whodunit"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.