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

Set against the glamour and mayhem of Miami Swim Week, Miami PI follows a wayward private investigator whose life has gone off course and a combustible former model caught up in a murder case. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2026

Other insiders recently told Star that Swift is reportedly thinking about hiring private investigators to find out who leaked the photos. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 6 Nov. 2026

Created by playwright Kat Sandler, who adapted her own material for the small screen, Yaga stars Noah Reid as Rapp, a private investigator hired by the wealthy family of a fishery empire to find their missing son, Henry Park (Hudson Williams). — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2026

New details were released Tuesday about the death of Heather Turner, as a private investigator hired by her family publicly refuted local law enforcement's official ruling of suicide. — La'tasha Givens, CBS News, 27 Oct. 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)