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
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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye
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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In Charlie's Angels, Liu, Barrymore, 51, and Diaz, 53, star as three women working in a private detective agency.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
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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
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
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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 eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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