as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
unable to get the interest of the police, they hired a private eye to find their missing daughter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private eye
The new second season takes the unlikely private eye to a college campus to suss out a blackmail scheme, and TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in her ★★★ review that the show has found its way a bit more.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Sally pauses her work as Marty holds court, sharing war stories from his decades as a private eye.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Thomas Pynchon's first novel in 12 years, Shadow Ticket, is a mystery that dives into the disappearance of a cheese heiress and draws private eye Hicks McTaggart down a rabbit hole.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
One Battle, like his other recent movies, is based on a book by Thomas Pynchon, the James Joyce of private eye novelists.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Sally pauses her work as Marty holds court, sharing war stories from his decades as a private eye.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Thomas Pynchon's first novel in 12 years, Shadow Ticket, is a mystery that dives into the disappearance of a cheese heiress and draws private eye Hicks McTaggart down a rabbit hole.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
One Battle, like his other recent movies, is based on a book by Thomas Pynchon, the James Joyce of private eye novelists.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye
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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Sheldon Williams was a city paramedic in the 1990s and also served as a police detective for 14 years and had been teaching recently at Pitt's emergency medicine program as well as consulting for the Department of Homeland Security and with FEMA.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Applegate said investigators later found Facebook Messenger data showing the suspects discussing the plan.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
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Later, sources told CNN the Justice Department stopped investigating the agent and federal authorities refused to share information with local investigators.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In an alternate version of 1940s Hollywood where cartoon characters live alongside humans, private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) tries to get to the bottom of who framed toon star Roger Rabbit for murder.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
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The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
19 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 film is billed as a comedy following a wayward private investigator and a volatile ex-model who are pulled into a murder investigation during the chaos of Miami Swim Week.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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