private investigator

noun

: a person not a member of a police force who is licensed to do detective work (such as investigation of suspected wrongdoing or searching for missing persons)

Examples of private investigator in a Sentence

She hired a private investigator to follow her husband. the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her turn as savant-like private investigator Holly Gibney in HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider is a remarkable one. Sezin Koehler, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2025 Davis’ lawyers filed a motion saying new witness testimony from a private investigator could prove that Davis was not in Las Vegas at the time of Shakur’s killing in September 1996. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025 According to Tuesday's court filing, private investigators later identified the buyers as Robert Yildirim and Ali Riza Yildirim of the Yildirim Group, a Turkish construction and shipping conglomerate. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025 In an affidavit filed on Wednesday (Mar. 5), a private investigator named Charlotte Henderson claims to have met with the accuser in late February in Alabama, per TMZ. Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for private investigator

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of private investigator was in 1940

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20investigator. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

private investigator

noun
: a person who does detective work and is not a member of a police force

Legal Definition

private investigator

noun
: a person not a member of a police force who is licensed to do detective work (as investigation of suspected wrongdoing or searching for missing persons)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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