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 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
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
Stanley also has a series on private detective Miranda Corbie set in pre-World War II San Francisco.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 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
Stanley also has a series on private detective Miranda Corbie set in pre-World War II San Francisco.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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Authorities asked anyone with information about Moore's whereabouts to contact detectives at 803-358-7271 or Midlands Crimestoppers.—
Stephen Sorace , Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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Inbred eccentrics and bumbling detectives have populated the seaside villages of Bruno Dumont’s absurdist comedies.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Noun
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In the video recorded at the Elliot Key Marina shortly after the collision, Pino can be seen telling the investigator that his attention was split immediately before the accident.—
Ana Maria Soler,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
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The Police Department in Friday’s post said the arrest by its Major Collisions Unit followed an investigation by responding officers, detectives and crime scene investigators that involved a four-hour neighborhood canvass.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
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Oddball comedies, private eye film noir superheroes, tense kidnapping thrillers and much, much more all make their way onto this weekend’s friendly neighborhood weekend streaming guide.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
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Daniel was with Caron from the very beginning of Moonlighting, which starred Shepherd as Maddie Hayes, owner of the struggling Blue Moon Detective Agency, and Bruce Willis as David Addison, the playful private eye who goes to work for her.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Noun
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But when one of them is murdered, private investigator Aubrey Merritt and her assistant Olivia Blunt must unravel decades of secrets and fractured loyalties to uncover the killer.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
13 June 2026
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Hackman plays a chess-loving private investigator tasked with finding the 16-year-old daughter (Melanie Griffith, in her film debut) of a fading actress.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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