private investigator
noun
: a person not a member of a police force who is licensed to do detective work (such as investigation of suspected wrongdoing or searching for missing persons)
Examples of private investigator in a Sentence
She hired a private investigator to follow her husband.
the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator
Recent Examples on the Web
The series centers on Cage’s titular character who is an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York; he’s later forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero, as the logline teases.
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
As the legal arguments escalated and spilt into the public, Magnier and McManus applied pressure on Ferguson in January 2004 by issuing 99 questions on United’s transfer dealings, buying more shares and hiring private investigators.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 May 2025
There’s a Coen brothers quality to its depiction of Nancy and Dave’s adventures, to the way that taking up the mantle of amateur private investigators to figure out what Fred is up to provides the pair with intrigue and excitement — part Fargo, part The Man Who Wasn’t There.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
Once Netflix obtained its $11.8 million judgment last August, the company’s lawyers hired private investigators to try to track down any remaining assets.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
As the legal arguments escalated and spilt into the public, Magnier and McManus applied pressure on Ferguson in January 2004 by issuing 99 questions on United’s transfer dealings, buying more shares and hiring private investigators.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 May 2025
There’s a Coen brothers quality to its depiction of Nancy and Dave’s adventures, to the way that taking up the mantle of amateur private investigators to figure out what Fred is up to provides the pair with intrigue and excitement — part Fargo, part The Man Who Wasn’t There.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
Once Netflix obtained its $11.8 million judgment last August, the company’s lawyers hired private investigators to try to track down any remaining assets.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20investigator. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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