private eye

noun

Synonyms of private eyenext

Examples of private eye in a Sentence

unable to get the interest of the police, they hired a private eye to find their missing daughter
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Oddball comedies, private eye film noir superheroes, tense kidnapping thrillers and much, much more all make their way onto this weekend’s friendly neighborhood weekend streaming guide. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026 Daniel was with Caron from the very beginning of Moonlighting, which starred Shepherd as Maddie Hayes, owner of the struggling Blue Moon Detective Agency, and Bruce Willis as David Addison, the playful private eye who goes to work for her. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026 Nicolas Cage, in his first live-action television role, plays Ben Reilly, a down-at-the-heels private eye, spiking his morning coffee with whiskey helpfully provided by his knowing secretary, Janet (Karen Rodriguez), and barely scraping by on the occasional divorce case. Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026 Garcia plays Joe Diamond, a private eye whose entire existence — down to his speech patterns, omnipresent fedora, 1940s convertible, and visible disdain for Waymo and TikTok — is a painstaking homage to the era of Bogart and Bacall. Rachel Handler, Vulture, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for private eye

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of private eye was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20eye. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

Legal Definition

private eye

noun
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