as in detectives
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private eyes
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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eyes
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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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
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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
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
Cite this Entry
“Private eyes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eyes. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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