private detectives

noun

plural of private detective
as in detectives
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

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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 detectives Meanwhile, private detectives probed Hadley’s vulnerabilities as a witness. — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 The trio took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles as part of a PaleyFest event commemorating five decades of Charlie's Angels, the groundbreaking ABC series that followed a group of female private detectives. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 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 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 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 And after testimony in Miami one day, former Police Chief and Carollo foe Art Acevedo, was followed from the courthouse to a restaurant in Coral Gables by a couple of private detectives. — Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026 The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted. — Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detectives
  1. detectives
  2. investigators
  3. private investigators
  4. private eyes
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
  • According to Fort Worth police, homicide detectives are investigating.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • The affidavit in the case says investigators found three checks Fernandez Saldana wrote to Tenon in October 2022, CNN previously reported, and phone records show the men had more than 60 phone contacts with each other.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Combs has repeatedly denied any involvement in Shakur’s killing and has never been named by investigators as a suspect or even a person of interest in the case.
    — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • 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
  • Harry and the six other high-profile claimants failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking and corrupt payments.
    — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of private investigators
Noun
  • 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
Definition of private eyes

Browse Nearby Words

private detective
private detectives
privateer
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Cite this Entry

“Private detectives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detectives. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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