as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the firm hired a hawkshaw to find out who was fencing stock from their warehouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hawkshaw
Noun
  • With the Farris Wheel starting to turn, detectives asked Scott if his father was having an affair.
    Susan Mallie, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Prosecutors also said detectives recovered video footage that suggests there may be dozens, if not hundreds, of women who were victimized.
    Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • According to the documents, investigators secured a search warrant for footage from inside the school and saw Morrison encourage other students to mentally and physically abuse a child at the school.
    Saleen Martin, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • On April 16, investigators determined her account was accessed from an IP address at a home where 44-year-old Maximilian Bondrescu lived.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Levitt stars in Killer Heat as Nick Bali, a private eye who travels to the Greek island of Crete to investigate the death of shipping magnate Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden), who plunged to his death during a free solo rock climb.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
  • The film closes with Stephanie thriving as a successful vlogger and part-time private eye while Emily, ever the con artist, adjusts to life in prison.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
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.

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“Hawkshaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hawkshaw. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

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