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Synonyms
Examples of private detective in a Sentence
when the police insisted that it was an accident and not murder, she hired a private detective
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to hacking phones, the tabloids hired private detectives and encouraged journalists to lie and misrepresent themselves to gain access to highly personal data.
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Mark Landler, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Jacobson played the scheming private detective Erin Jones in 22 episodes of Falcon Crest from 1985-87, the CBS primetime soap about a wealthy California wine family.
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Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2024
Created by Michael Schur, the series follows Charles, a widower and retiree, who is hired by a private detective named Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) and goes undercover at a local San Francisco nursing home to solve a theft.
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Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
The film’s most enduring legacy, however, is the Dude, a mythic American hero no less than the private detective or the cowboy.
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airmail.news, 12 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1861, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of private detective was
in 1861
Dictionary Entries Near private detective
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20detective. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
private detective
nounLegal Definition
private detective
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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