as in detectives
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private detectives
The trio took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles as part of a PaleyFest event commemorating five decades of Charlie's Angels, the groundbreaking ABC series that followed a group of female private detectives.
—
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Jackson was involved with the show — which followed three beautiful private detectives — from the very beginning, helping Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg put together the idea after her time on The Rookies.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 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
The recipients spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private detectives and expert analysis.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.
—Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Jackson was involved with the show — which followed three beautiful private detectives — from the very beginning, helping Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg put together the idea after her time on The Rookies.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 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
The recipients spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private detectives and expert analysis.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.
—Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detectives
Noun
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Berkeley police said Hadari Darden is classified as a missing adult, and that detectives are in contact with neighboring agencies.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Tipsters may also call homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some of them said that the investigators initially did not contact important figures at the company.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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No information on the possible charges those people face was shared by investigators.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This is all part of Harry’s civil lawsuit against ANL for unlawful information gathering, including phone tapping and the use of private investigators.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
2 Apr. 2026
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Jane Levy is the latest addition to the cast of Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici’s NBC comedy pilot about private investigators.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Private detectives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detectives. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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