as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private investigator
During the Season 3 finale, DA Haller questioned private investigator Neil Bishop, who admitted he was blackmailed into working for Drug Enforcement Administration agent James De Marco.
—
Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Police in Oklahoma found the young girl a week and a half later, Brooke Morris said, after a private investigator discovered that her image had been posted in online advertisements.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2026
After his retirement from the DEA, Recio worked as a private investigator for Macey and other South Florida defense attorneys.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Police in Oklahoma found the young girl a week and a half later, Brooke Morris said, after a private investigator discovered that her image had been posted in online advertisements.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2026
After his retirement from the DEA, Recio worked as a private investigator for Macey and other South Florida defense attorneys.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private investigator
Noun
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Within two years, Torres’ political career was crashing down amid a scandal that surfaced publicly in October 2024 when he was detained and questioned by San Jose detectives.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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De Niro plays a reverend in Los Angeles; Duvall is his homicide-detective brother.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Game and Fish investigators requested camera video from homeowners in the areas where poaching activity was known to have occurred.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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According to the subsequent findings of state investigators, Cooke took the child to the basement of her home and placed her in a Pack ‘n Play portable crib for a nap.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When his teams didn’t entertain, Moe became the show, this cursing, grumbling, rumpled 6-foot-5 firebrand who dressed like a ’70s private detective, a disheveled anti-hero who detested suits.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
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Eventually, a private detective tracked down the Whiteheads in Holiday, Florida, and Baby M, as the child was known in the news, was brought back to the Sterns.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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