as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 investigator
In September 2025, Cecilie Fjellhøy teamed up with private investigator Brianne Joseph to uncover other romance scams in Netflix's Love Con Revenge.
—
Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Catfish-style, Cecilie works with a private investigator, Brianne Joseph, to help uncover elaborate cons, support victims, and hold serial scammers accountable.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025
The new Netflix docuseries brings back Tinder Swindler victim Cecilie Fjellhøy and pairs her up with private investigator Brianne Joseph to get deep with these personal stories.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 8 Sep. 2025
In Love Con Revenge, Cecilie Fjellhøy teams with a private investigator to work with people who have been targeted by romance scams.
—PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Catfish-style, Cecilie works with a private investigator, Brianne Joseph, to help uncover elaborate cons, support victims, and hold serial scammers accountable.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2025
The new Netflix docuseries brings back Tinder Swindler victim Cecilie Fjellhøy and pairs her up with private investigator Brianne Joseph to get deep with these personal stories.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 8 Sep. 2025
In Love Con Revenge, Cecilie Fjellhøy teams with a private investigator to work with people who have been targeted by romance scams.
—PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private investigator
Noun
-
Two days later, the case was assigned to a detective in the domestic violence unit, who identified Anderson as matching the description.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The woman later described to detectives seeing blood in the hall near the kitchen entryway.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One of its investigators had spent weeks undercover working and traveling with ShowMe Tigers, watching the animals being forced to perform tricks, said Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, in a statement Sunday.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
-
One woman told investigators her family paid Gonzales nearly $34,500 to help her parents obtain legal residence, disciplinary records show.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The original series also spawned a spinoff, Baywatch Nights, in which Hasselhoff’s character, Mitch Buchanon, joins his friend Garner Ellerbee (Gregory Alan Williams) in a private detective agency.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Sep. 2025
-
In the second movie in Ethan Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke’s lesbian B-movie trilogy (the first was the fizzy Drive Away Dolls), Margaret Qualley plays Honey, a stylish private detective trying to solve a case that involves a cult.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The film written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke stars Margaret Qualley as a small-town private eye working a case of strange deaths at a mysterious church.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Short version: In this movie co-written and directed by Ethan Coen, Margaret Qualley plays a swaggering, small-town private eye whose investigations into a series of strange deaths lead her to a mysterious church run by a charismatic (and corrupt) preacher played by Chris Evans.—
Chris Foran,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share