private detective

noun

Definition of private detectivenext
as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons when the police insisted that it was an accident and not murder, she hired a private detective

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of private detective Meanwhile, private detectives probed Hadley’s vulnerabilities as a witness. — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 In Spider-Noir, Nicolas Cage plays a down-on-his-luck private detective who used to be New York's only superhero. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 June 2026 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 Jackson was involved with the show — which followed three beautiful private detectives — from the very beginning, helping Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg put together the idea after her time on The Rookies. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
  1. detective
  2. investigator
  3. private eye
  4. private investigator
Noun
  • Detectives spoke with another psychic who first reached out to Sophie’s family before detectives followed up with them, police said, adding the psychic had offered services for free.
    — Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The watchdog also criticized internal affairs investigators’ reliance on deputies’ logs and detectives’ case files, which were oriented at establishing criminal liability, not examining institutional flaws.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of detective
Noun
  • Among them is Benjamin Radford, a research fellow and investigator with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a nonprofit organization that evaluates paranormal and fringe-science claims from a scientific viewpoint.
    — Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Campus and county police, joined by federal agents and sheriff’s deputies from neighboring counties, maintained a heavy presence as investigators searched for suspects and urged residents to avoid the area.
    — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of investigator
Noun
  • That’s how John Sugar goes from conscientious private eye to would-be assassin.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • There are vivid characters—the rich, distinguished crook Brandon, the platinum-blond secretary Miss Vermilyea; Javonen, ex-military intelligence, and seedy private eye from Kansas, Noble, who might have lurched out of an early Graham Greene story.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of private eye
Noun
  • Maria Sten, a regular in seasons two and three of Reacher, plays the title character, a private investigator in Chicago and Jack Reacher’s former colleague in the Army’s 110th Special Investigations Unit.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The Dink star’s new series costars Keith David, Langston Kerman, and Mary Shalaby in a comedy about private investigators working in Los Angeles.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of private investigator

Browse Nearby Words

private
private detective
private detectives
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Cite this Entry

“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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