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
There’s the ongoing divorce, a particularly weird one that required her to hire a private investigator just to locate Bick and serve him papers.
—
Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
In the 1968 film, Dunaway played a private investigator caught up in an affair with the wealthy mastermind behind a bank heist, played by another '60s heartthrob, McQueen.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024
The private investigator obtained a photo of her car outside a Sacramento gym.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2024
Before she was found dead, Aguilar’s family hired private investigator Steve Fischer to look into what may have happened to her.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for private investigator 
Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
In the 1968 film, Dunaway played a private investigator caught up in an affair with the wealthy mastermind behind a bank heist, played by another '60s heartthrob, McQueen.
—Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024
The private investigator obtained a photo of her car outside a Sacramento gym.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2024
Before she was found dead, Aguilar’s family hired private investigator Steve Fischer to look into what may have happened to her.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for private investigator
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'private investigator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20investigator. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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