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
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.
As per IMDb, Spider-Noir follows: An aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York is forced to grapple with his past life as the city's one and only superhero. Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025 In fact, the shadowy figures were private investigators, hired by a top racetrack in Kentucky to investigate Yakteen’s former boss – the legendary trainer Bob Baffert – to try to find evidence that the famous white-haired horseman doped his horses. Katie Bo Lillis, CNN Money, 2 May 2025 The response was sparse, but later, a private investigator who had seen a TV interview with Mr. Wright, for whom David had had no address, advised David to make an effort to call him. Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 The whistleblower lawsuit is one of many filed by private investigators or corporations empowered to do so by a law aimed at preventing fraud against the federal government. Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for private investigator

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of private investigator was in 1940

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20investigator. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

private investigator

noun
: a person who does detective work and is not a member of a police force

Legal Definition

private investigator

noun
: a person not a member of a police force who is licensed to do detective work (as investigation of suspected wrongdoing or searching for missing persons)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!