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)
Synonyms
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
The wide-ranging scandal centered on private investigators who illegally hacked into the voicemails of news subjects and gathered information for Murdoch’s tabloids.
—
Brian Stelter, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Accusations of privacy invasions Harry accuses the company's journalists and private investigators of unlawfully gaining access to his personal information over many years.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025
The streamer has ordered a second season of A Man on the Inside, a comedy series starring Danson as Charles, a widower who, in the first season, goes to work for a private investigator (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) to investigate thefts in a retirement community.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Dec. 2024
Separately, a law firm working for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign hired a private investigator, former British spy Christopher Steele, to conduct opposition research on Trump, and Steele compiled a series of reports with shocking claims about Trump and his associates.
—Mike Levine, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private investigator 
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Brian Stelter, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Accusations of privacy invasions Harry accuses the company's journalists and private investigators of unlawfully gaining access to his personal information over many years.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025
The streamer has ordered a second season of A Man on the Inside, a comedy series starring Danson as Charles, a widower who, in the first season, goes to work for a private investigator (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) to investigate thefts in a retirement community.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Dec. 2024
Separately, a law firm working for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign hired a private investigator, former British spy Christopher Steele, to conduct opposition research on Trump, and Steele compiled a series of reports with shocking claims about Trump and his associates.
—Mike Levine, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private investigator
Dictionary Entries Near private investigator
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20investigator. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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