as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
unable to get the interest of the police, they hired a private eye to find their missing daughter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private eye
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.
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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
The indie is set in a near future society ruled by sentient artificial intelligence and has a private eye investigate a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for private eye
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
The indie is set in a near future society ruled by sentient artificial intelligence and has a private eye investigate a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye
Noun
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The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office declined to bring charges after speaking with CMPD detectives, the department said.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Apr. 2025
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The movie is based on the Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and Jerry Zucker franchise The Naked Gun that originally starred Leslie Nielsen as self-serious detective Frank Drebin, who managed to fail up through the ranks of the police squad.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The government's own investigators have repeatedly found serious problems in immigration detention centers around the country.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA TODAY,
23 Mar. 2025
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In a missing persons poster provided by the sheriff's office, investigators wrote that the family had rented a 2024 white BMW with California license plate number 9KHN768.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Her turn as savant-like private investigator Holly Gibney in HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider is a remarkable one.—
Sezin Koehler,
EW.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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Davis’ lawyers filed a motion saying new witness testimony from a private investigator could prove that Davis was not in Las Vegas at the time of Shakur’s killing in September 1996.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
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