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
La Guerre also launched a GoFundMe to help raise money to hire private investigators to join in on the search.
—
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Second is private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), working on a different missing child case, for a different father.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
And what if a private investigator went looking for it?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Court filings show Black discussed Ganieva's deal with two people, Epstein and a private investigator.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
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Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Second is private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), working on a different missing child case, for a different father.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
And what if a private investigator went looking for it?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Court filings show Black discussed Ganieva's deal with two people, Epstein and a private investigator.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 16 Dec. 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 11 Jan. 2026.
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