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
In that time, Will has started over as a private eye in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.
—
Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025
When a judge tentatively allowed the music to bang on this fall, sonic private eyes and city officials patrolled the neighborhood with microphones and decibel meters, gathering ammunition for the battle.
—Katie Thornton, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
Most recently, the actor worked opposite Colin Farrell in Apple TV+’s twisty private eye series Sugar (2024–present).
—Madeline Cisneros, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024
Worse yet, a seedy private eye (Kevin Bacon) starts invading Maxine’s personal space and threatens to expose her murderous past.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025
When a judge tentatively allowed the music to bang on this fall, sonic private eyes and city officials patrolled the neighborhood with microphones and decibel meters, gathering ammunition for the battle.
—Katie Thornton, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
Most recently, the actor worked opposite Colin Farrell in Apple TV+’s twisty private eye series Sugar (2024–present).
—Madeline Cisneros, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024
Worse yet, a seedy private eye (Kevin Bacon) starts invading Maxine’s personal space and threatens to expose her murderous past.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye
Noun
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Last fans saw, she was picked up by two New York Police Department officers who escorted her off a bus and told her detectives at the police station had questions for her about Famous' death.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
9 May 2025
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Resurrection, a sci-fi detective movie from Chinese director Bi Gan (Long Day’s Journey Into Night), is a late addition to this year’s competition.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2025
Noun
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According to the documents, investigators secured a search warrant for footage from inside the school and saw Morrison encourage other students to mentally and physically abuse a child at the school.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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On April 16, investigators determined her account was accessed from an IP address at a home where 44-year-old Maximilian Bondrescu lived.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Loser of the Week Michael McMahon, a retired NYPD sergeant turned private detective, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his part in harassing and stalking a Chinese expatriate named Xu Jin, who is wanted by his homeland’s government.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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At the end of A Simple Favor, Emily (Lively) goes to prison and Stephanie (Kendrick) moonlights as a private detective, which makes her mommy vlog more interesting and extremely popular.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Tess Monaghan series follows the investigative pursuits of Tess Monaghan, a former reporter turned private investigator in Baltimore.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2025
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Underneath were blurred images of Brit allegedly pre- and post-plastic surgery, which were acquired by a private investigator.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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