as in detectives
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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hawkshaws
Noun
-
Two people were taken into custody shortly after the shooting and were still being questioned by Belmont area detectives late Wednesday, according to a police spokesperson.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026 -
Co-workers told detectives that Chino shows up at neighborhood projects from time to time looking to do construction jobs for some money, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Payments will be based on severity and duration of the abuse, the level of cooperation with investigators and other factors, records show.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Quinn says investigators questioned his story.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The untitled half-hour project is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives, which continues the proud tradition of Los Angeles private eyes that began with Philip Marlowe and will end with this show.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hawkshaws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hawkshaws. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
