as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
when the police insisted that it was an accident and not murder, she hired a private detective
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Recent Examples of private detective
Monaghan and Cannavale have been typecast as LAPD investigators, while Bacon is a hard, grizzled private detective.
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Wolfgang Ruth, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
Watch on Deadline The Strike series follows a war veteran turned private detective named Cormoran Strike.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024
In 1991, Jones won two Emmys, one for his portrayal of private detective Gabriel Bird in Gabriel’s Fire, the other for his supporting role in the TV movie Heat Wave, a drama about the 1965 Watts race riots.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
Amid scenes of semen being used as hair gel and testicles jammed in zippers, the Farrelly Brothers managed to concoct an amiable story about the nerdy Ted (Ben Stiller) hiring a private detective to find Mary (Cameron Diaz), the object of his unrequited love in high school.
—Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private detective 
Wolfgang Ruth, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
Watch on Deadline The Strike series follows a war veteran turned private detective named Cormoran Strike.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024
In 1991, Jones won two Emmys, one for his portrayal of private detective Gabriel Bird in Gabriel’s Fire, the other for his supporting role in the TV movie Heat Wave, a drama about the 1965 Watts race riots.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
Amid scenes of semen being used as hair gel and testicles jammed in zippers, the Farrelly Brothers managed to concoct an amiable story about the nerdy Ted (Ben Stiller) hiring a private detective to find Mary (Cameron Diaz), the object of his unrequited love in high school.
—Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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In 2010, cold case detectives recovered additional items and sent them for DNA testing, leading to the DNA profile of a male suspect.Alaa Elassar, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
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Police said no suspects were in custody and that area detectives were investigating the shooting.Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Anyone with information may call homicide investigators at 510-238-3821 or the tip line at 510-238-7950.Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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Liberation reported that a raid was also being conducted simultaneously in Netflix’s European HQ in the Netherlands, following months-long cooperation between French and Dutch investigators.Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The series mixes the everyday with the inexplicable beautifully, with a standout performance by Cynthia Erivo as an eccentric private eye.Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024
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The report also indicates the two have taken care to keep their romance out of the private eye for what seems to be a substantial amount of time.Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The ride got a new storyline that starred Jessica as a private investigator — wearing a trench coat over her iconic outfit.Victoria Edel, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
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In 2021, Disneyland updated Jessica Rabbit’s look in the Anaheim park from her red dress to a trench coat, allegedly more in line with her new career as a private investigator, taking after Bob Hoskins’ Eddie Valliant in the project.Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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