PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR Synonyms: 22 Similar Words

private investigator

noun

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

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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 investigator Herman Weisberg, a former NYPD detective turned high-profile private investigator, believes one phone call could still crack the case. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 The spinoff sees Reacher's former protégé working as a private investigator in Chicago. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026 That’s not to say that there aren’t some similarities between the Gotham City gangster in The Penguin and Los Angeles private investigator of Sugar. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026 But hardcore fans also know her Riley Thorn series, which follows a reluctant psychic and her handsome private investigator boyfriend. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for private investigator

Recent Examples of Synonyms for 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

Next month, Minotaur Books will publish the private detective mystery Killer Vibes by Jack Friday–or as readers will recognize him, John Fram.

— Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
The book introduced readers to Easy Rawlins, a private detective in mid-20th-century Watts who would go on to figure into more than 15 novels (and counting).

— Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 June 2026

Definition of private detective

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

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private eyes

private investigator

private investigators

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

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Synonyms of private investigator

noun

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