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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private detective
In places like Altadena, the brunt was endured by low-income households, many inhabited by renters rather than owners—not the sort of folk who could pay for ample insurance coverage, let alone for private detectives.
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
That version had Zendaya’s Rue grow up to be a private detective.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
Bogart—best known as the swaggering nightclub owner from Casablanca and the scotch-slinging private detective from The Maltese Falcon—has been dead since the 1950s.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Winbush plays a former FBI agent and old friend of Ted's who now works as a private detective, according to Variety.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
That version had Zendaya’s Rue grow up to be a private detective.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
Bogart—best known as the swaggering nightclub owner from Casablanca and the scotch-slinging private detective from The Maltese Falcon—has been dead since the 1950s.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Winbush plays a former FBI agent and old friend of Ted's who now works as a private detective, according to Variety.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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No one was in custody and detectives were investigating.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2025
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One of the men involved in the shooting was also struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital, where he was interviewed by detectives.—
Julia Bonavita,
Fox News,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Spiro said the investigators who approached Jane Doe did not coerce or threaten her.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2025
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New evidence was gathered in November 2023, and both were arrested March 4, investigators said.—
Kate Linderman,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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These private eyes spy on children in order to determine who is or isn’t living within the district’s strict attendance boundaries.—
Tim Deroche,
Orange County Register,
28 Jan. 2025
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In that time, Will has started over as a private eye in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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According to Tuesday's court filing, private investigators later identified the buyers as Robert Yildirim and Ali Riza Yildirim of the Yildirim Group, a Turkish construction and shipping conglomerate.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
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In an affidavit filed on Wednesday (Mar. 5), a private investigator named Charlotte Henderson claims to have met with the accuser in late February in Alabama, per TMZ.—
Marc Griffin,
VIBE.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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