private detective

noun

: private investigator

Synonyms of private detective

• detective
• investigator
• private eye
• private investigator

Examples of private detective in a Sentence

when the police insisted that it was an accident and not murder, she hired a private detective

Recent Examples on the Web

In the mid-1990s, Bob Bartel, a Chicago native and sometime private detective and full-time Beatles nut, heard Louise speak at a fan convention about George’s vacation in Benton. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

His plan was to hire a private detective and get to the bottom of this treachery. — Deborah Day, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Andy Anderson, once a private detective for Griffin Investigations, demonstrated this remarkable feat of motivated reasoning in the 2004 documentary The Hot Shoe. — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Along the way, Savannah was joined by her father who, in his youth, had been a private detective. — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for private detective

• radioprotective
• stereoselective
• advective
• affective
• collective
• connective
• convective
• corrective
• defective
• directive
• effective
• elective

Kids Definition

private detective

noun

: private investigator

Legal Definition

private detective

noun

: private investigator