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
  • The victim’s relatives showed detectives a photo of Ackerman and the victim in the same area the victim’s body had been located, according to an affidavit.
    Caroline Zimmerman July 7, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2025
  • Meanwhile, back at the Marine Mammal Care Center, the scientific detective work is about to begin.
    NPR Staff, NPR, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • Fishy past Two decades ago, federal investigators alleged Marky’s was one of those companies caught in black market dealings.
    Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025
  • The couple and their dog Gilbert were shot in their home during the early morning hours of June 14, by a gunman who investigators say was targeting Democratic lawmakers.
    Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • On one level, Resuscitation of a Hanged Man is a private eye novel.
    Dwyer Murphy June 24, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
  • The idea of a lesbian private eye isn’t even that new either, since Jess Franco had two in a pair of his most enjoyable exploitation movies (Sadisterotika and Kiss Me, Monster, both 1969).
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 May 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 11 Jul. 2025.

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