as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the firm hired a hawkshaw to find out who was fencing stock from their warehouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hawkshaw
Noun
  • During a Monday news conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said detectives were traveling to Altoona, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh, to interview Mangione.
    James Powel, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Joseph Kenny, the NYPD's chief of detectives, confirmed Monday that the note is now in the possession of the Altoona Police Department.
    Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Kenny added that investigators found evidence that Mangione knew of UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference in New York City.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Federal investigators began looking into Jafari-Hassad’s operation in 2019.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) A box-office disappointment, this adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel actually got more attention for then-newcomer Don Cheadle’s scene-stealing turn as a lunatic associate of Washington’s main character, the cool, calculating private eye Easy Rawlins.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2024
  • Once there, he gets wrapped up in a mystery, befriends a private eye named Perry (Val Kilmer), and reconnects with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a childhood crush.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
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.

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near hawkshaw

Cite this Entry

“Hawkshaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hawkshaw. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!