as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the firm hired a hawkshaw to find out who was fencing stock from their warehouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hawkshaw
Noun
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Police detectives are investigating two shootings that happened a short time apart in two Pittsburgh neighborhoods located not far from one another.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026 -
After investigating the shooting, Boston Police detectives were able to obtain a warrant for the suspect out of Suffolk County Juvenile Court for several gun charges and armed assault to murder.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Riverside County District Attorney's Office In 2024, investigators working in conjunction with the Riverside County Coroner's Office and the Regional Cold Case Homicide Team re-examined the case with new advances in forensic science, including genetic genealogy.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Hunters exploring in a remote section of the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest stumbled onto a body in the dark, according to investigators in western North Carolina.—
Mark Price
April 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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Whether or not Johnson’s private eye character will be hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or even poached remains to be seen.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hawkshaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hawkshaw. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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