as in detective
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private detective
The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.
—
Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
The private detective Snider hired to tail Dorothy and Bogdanovich, Marc Goldstein, had, according to a suit filed by Bogdanovich and the Stratten estate, stolen Dorothy’s diaries and other personal effects, sold them to a studio.
—Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Down Cemetery Road Cast Emma Thompson leads the cast as private detective Zoë Boehm.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
The private detective Snider hired to tail Dorothy and Bogdanovich, Marc Goldstein, had, according to a suit filed by Bogdanovich and the Stratten estate, stolen Dorothy’s diaries and other personal effects, sold them to a studio.
—Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Down Cemetery Road Cast Emma Thompson leads the cast as private detective Zoë Boehm.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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Together, Sarah Wondra and the roommates bound Michael with duct tape and shoved him into the duffel bag, Wondra recounted to the detectives.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
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No one was in custody for the fatal shooting, and detectives were investigating.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Between February 27 and March 2, the investigators found and arrested four suspects.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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In plain terms, investigators have been told to file paperwork and wait in line.—
Vaughn Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Inspired by her father’s work as a private eye, Eliza (Phillips) has spent the last six seasons breaking the glass ceiling while solving countless mysteries.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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In the novel, Spade and partner Miles Archer are private investigators who accept a case from a woman hoping to find her sister, who ran off with a mysterious man.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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Nold, who was with the family during the viewing, said the video confirmed the information gathered from multiple witnesses interviewed by her private investigator.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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