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)

Synonyms of private investigator

• detective
• investigator
• private detective
• private eye

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

Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search. —Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026

The film is billed as a comedy following a wayward private investigator and a volatile ex-model who are pulled into a murder investigation during the chaos of Miami Swim Week. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026

The celebrities allege that the company illegally spied on them by hiring private investigators to hack their phones, bug their cars and access private records. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Harry, along with Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost and others, alleges the publisher hired private investigators to bug their cars, obtain personal records and eavesdrop on calls. —Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for private investigator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• collaborator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator

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)