as in detectives
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
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Recent Examples of private detectives
The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.
—
Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Co-written and executive produced by Goor and Del Tredici, the half-hour is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Co-written and executive produced by Goor and Del Tredici, the half-hour is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detectives
Noun
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Late on December 22, for example, mere hours after the shooting, detectives visited Barry and James, both of them still in the ER with conditions listed as critical, to record their official statements.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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For five years, detectives looked for Townsend.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The investigators and May expressed concern that DeCristo had not addressed her actions.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Parents of students with disabilities have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state over their schools’ failure to educate their children, and most of the time, state investigators have agreed.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
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The celebrities allege that the company illegally spied on them by hiring private investigators to hack their phones, bug their cars and access private records.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private detectives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detectives. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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