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
Stanley also has a series on private detective Miranda Corbie set in pre-World War II San Francisco.
—
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Richard Bronswijk, who heads the Dutch police art crime unit, says he's seen private detectives create problems when money is the driver.
—Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 21 Mar. 2026
The untitled half-hour project is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives, which continues the proud tradition of Los Angeles private eyes that began with Philip Marlowe and will end with this show.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
And after testimony in Miami one day, former Police Chief and Carollo foe Art Acevedo, was followed from the courthouse to a restaurant in Coral Gables by a couple of private detectives.
—Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Richard Bronswijk, who heads the Dutch police art crime unit, says he's seen private detectives create problems when money is the driver.
—Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 21 Mar. 2026
The untitled half-hour project is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives, which continues the proud tradition of Los Angeles private eyes that began with Philip Marlowe and will end with this show.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
And after testimony in Miami one day, former Police Chief and Carollo foe Art Acevedo, was followed from the courthouse to a restaurant in Coral Gables by a couple of private detectives.
—Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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Court records show Dial sued a former Parker Police Department detective over his 2022 arrest for tampering with evidence and being an accessory to murder.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
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The lawsuit claims that Santana was the lead detective assigned to the case, while Smith was the sergeant who supervised the investigative team.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Noun
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His attorney had asked officers to check on him, investigators said.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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That’s not true, Enders told lottery investigators, arguing the halves came from a single ticket.—
Jack Jankowski,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2026
Noun
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That one is set in Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, where private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
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Because this is a Jean-Luc Godard film, only Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine), a rumpled American private eye who seems to have stepped straight out of one of the classic Hollywood noirs Godard loved.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Matthew Trickett, 37, a former British Royal Marine, had worked as an immigration officer and private investigator.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
Selleck played Thomas Magnum, a former Naval officer who pivoted to work as a private investigator in Hawaii.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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