as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
unable to get the interest of the police, they hired a private eye to find their missing daughter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private eye
Brian Albert, former Boston cop and now Brockton private eye extraordinaire, will hold a press conference to announce the hiring of his two newest very ethical crack sleuths – Michael Proctor and Kelly Dever.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
The novel sometimes reads like a prequel to Gravity’s Rainbow; the private eye, Hicks McTaggart, moving through a universe already vibrating with the same febrile harmonics that will later detonate in the Second World War.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
The new second season takes the unlikely private eye to a college campus to suss out a blackmail scheme, and TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in her ★★★ review that the show has found its way a bit more.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Sally pauses her work as Marty holds court, sharing war stories from his decades as a private eye.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
The novel sometimes reads like a prequel to Gravity’s Rainbow; the private eye, Hicks McTaggart, moving through a universe already vibrating with the same febrile harmonics that will later detonate in the Second World War.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
The new second season takes the unlikely private eye to a college campus to suss out a blackmail scheme, and TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in her ★★★ review that the show has found its way a bit more.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Sally pauses her work as Marty holds court, sharing war stories from his decades as a private eye.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye
Noun
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The Sheriff's Department said its Special Victims Bureau detectives are in the very early stages of their investigation.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Harrison Area detectives were investigating the deaths.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Following the alleged confession, investigators in Medina County began searching the Medina Lake area.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
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With assurances of an immunity deal, David Wiley met with investigators at his attorney's office.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The movie was made even stranger by then-Hollywood heavyweights like Jackie Chan, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robert Evans playing heightened versions of themselves — not to mention an unsettling performance by Harvey Weinstein as a private detective that has, to put it mildly, not aged well.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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The private investigator did not keep Kennedy anonymous.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Charlie's Angels centered on three private investigators who, under orders from their enigmatic but never visible boss, Charlie Townsend, solved cases together using their wits and style.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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