private detective

noun

Examples of private detective in a Sentence

when the police insisted that it was an accident and not murder, she hired a private detective
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.
The Saint is streaming on Paramount+. ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (2005) Val Kilmer plays a private detective, Perry van Shrike, aka Gay Perry, opposite Robert Downey Jr.’s Harry Lockhart in writer-director Shane Black’s dark crime comedy. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025 At the time, McTiernan had hired Hollywood’s famous private detective Anthony Pellicano, to spy on Rollerball’s producer Charles Roven. Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025 Jones lacks the cloak-and-dagger aspect of his most successful forebear, Allan Pinkerton, whose namesake agency once commanded a force of private detectives larger than the U.S. Army. Jasper Craven, Harper's Magazine, 23 July 2024 The Accountant 2 opens with the murder of Ray King (J.K. Simmons), who, since retiring from his job as Treasury Director, moonlit as a private detective. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for private detective

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of private detective was in 1861

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Cite this Entry

“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20detective. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

private detective

noun

Legal Definition

private detective

noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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