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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private investigator
The story continues with an account from private investigator Herman Weisberg, who was hired by Nadia Ford, the daughter of Nasyrova’s late neighbor in Russia.
—
Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Second is private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), working on a different missing child case, for a different father.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
And what if a private investigator went looking for it?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The posters — shown in both black and white and color (below), because the series will also be available in both — introduce Cage as Ben, an aging and down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Second is private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), working on a different missing child case, for a different father.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
And what if a private investigator went looking for it?
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The posters — shown in both black and white and color (below), because the series will also be available in both — introduce Cage as Ben, an aging and down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private investigator
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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The recipients spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private detectives and expert analysis.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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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
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
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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