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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private detective
The private detective Snider hired to tail Dorothy and Bogdanovich, Marc Goldstein, had, according to a suit filed by Bogdanovich and the Stratten estate, stolen Dorothy’s diaries and other personal effects, sold them to a studio.
—
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Down Cemetery Road Cast Emma Thompson leads the cast as private detective Zoë Boehm.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
And while the chemistry in the show — which followed a former model (Shepherd) and a detective (Bruce) who manage a private detective agency — was undeniable, a feud was seemingly brewing behind the scenes.
—Abby Stern, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Down Cemetery Road Cast Emma Thompson leads the cast as private detective Zoë Boehm.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
And while the chemistry in the show — which followed a former model (Shepherd) and a detective (Bruce) who manage a private detective agency — was undeniable, a feud was seemingly brewing behind the scenes.
—Abby Stern, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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Within two years, Torres’ political career was crashing down amid a scandal that surfaced publicly in October 2024 when he was detained and questioned by San Jose detectives.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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De Niro plays a reverend in Los Angeles; Duvall is his homicide-detective brother.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Game and Fish investigators requested camera video from homeowners in the areas where poaching activity was known to have occurred.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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According to the subsequent findings of state investigators, Cooke took the child to the basement of her home and placed her in a Pack ‘n Play portable crib for a nap.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Princess Lilibet and her brother, Prince Archie, 6, are often kept out of the private eye by their parents, but the siblings have recently been featured in a number of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's photos — and some of their philanthropic work.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
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On Friday, the network added a comedy, a private eye show from Brooklyn Nine-Nine alumni Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Did the Guthries hire their own private investigator?—
Stephanie Innes,
AZCentral.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Once upon a time, there was a TV show about three little girls who went to the police academy and then became private investigators.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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