private detective

noun

Definition of private detectivenext
as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons when the police insisted that it was an accident and not murder, she hired a private detective

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of private detective Meanwhile, private detectives probed Hadley’s vulnerabilities as a witness. — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 In Spider-Noir, Nicolas Cage plays a down-on-his-luck private detective who used to be New York's only superhero. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 June 2026 The movie was made even stranger by then-Hollywood heavyweights like Jackie Chan, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robert Evans playing heightened versions of themselves — not to mention an unsettling performance by Harvey Weinstein as a private detective that has, to put it mildly, not aged well. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026 Jackson was involved with the show — which followed three beautiful private detectives — from the very beginning, helping Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg put together the idea after her time on The Rookies. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
  1. detective
  2. investigator
  3. private eye
  4. private investigator
Noun
  • The 58-year-old was arrested after talking with a family violence detective, according to police.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 July 2026
  • Fortunately, a veteran detective pursued the investigation and made an arrest.
    — Ari Maas, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
Definition of detective
Noun
  • Crump said those friends now have lawyers and that his investigators haven't attempted to speak with them yet.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • Colt, then 14, brought an assault-style rifle to school, hidden in his backpack, and made several concerning comments to teachers and parents that morning, according to investigators who testified at his father’s murder trial earlier this year.
    — Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of investigator
Noun
  • In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.
    — Rick Ellis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Set in Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future inhabited by aliens and humans as seen from a 1939 perspective, the film revolves around private eye Raymond Gunn (Rockwell) who is drawn into a case involving murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 24 June 2026
Definition of private eye
Noun
  • The big twist was always going to make or break Sugar, Apple TV’s contemporary neo-noir starring Colin Farrell as a dapper, tender, classic Hollywood–loving private investigator who happens to be a blue-skinned extraterrestrial in human disguise.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 10 July 2026
  • Angels In Darkness follows a troubled private investigator who uncovers a secret cult’s plan to unleash an ancient force, as the boundary between worlds begins to collapse.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 July 2026
Definition of private investigator

Browse Nearby Words

private
private detective
private detectives
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Cite this Entry

“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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