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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private detective
The private detective Snider hired to tail Dorothy and Bogdanovich, Marc Goldstein, had, according to a suit filed by Bogdanovich and the Stratten estate, stolen Dorothy’s diaries and other personal effects, sold them to a studio.
—
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Down Cemetery Road Cast Emma Thompson leads the cast as private detective Zoë Boehm.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
And while the chemistry in the show — which followed a former model (Shepherd) and a detective (Bruce) who manage a private detective agency — was undeniable, a feud was seemingly brewing behind the scenes.
—Abby Stern, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Down Cemetery Road Cast Emma Thompson leads the cast as private detective Zoë Boehm.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
And while the chemistry in the show — which followed a former model (Shepherd) and a detective (Bruce) who manage a private detective agency — was undeniable, a feud was seemingly brewing behind the scenes.
—Abby Stern, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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The current inspector general, Felix Jimenez, is a former homicide detective, but supporters of the changes note that much of his office’s work focuses on the nuts-and-bolts of government spending, including contracts and purchases.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
3 Feb. 2026
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The investigation into Reina began in January 2024, involving interviews about three dozen people and poring over thousands of credit card statements and other expense reports, said Sacramento County sheriff’s detective Monica Bustamante in an interview last week.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The report showed that the crash — like most crashes — wasn’t caused by one issue but instead by a cascading series of problems, former NTSB investigator Anthony Brickhouse told The Charlotte Observer.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
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Police soon cleared Piercy after his story checked out, and investigators say he could be heard on the 911 call doing CPR and trying to save Katlyn.—
Megan Kelly Brown,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Princess Lilibet and her brother, Prince Archie, 6, are often kept out of the private eye by their parents, but the siblings have recently been featured in a number of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's photos — and some of their philanthropic work.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
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On Friday, the network added a comedy, a private eye show from Brooklyn Nine-Nine alumni Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
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The film is billed as a comedy following a wayward private investigator and a volatile ex-model who are pulled into a murder investigation during the chaos of Miami Swim Week.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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