as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 investigator
The response was sparse, but later, a private investigator who had seen a TV interview with Mr. Wright, for whom David had had no address, advised David to make an effort to call him.
—
Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The whistleblower lawsuit is one of many filed by private investigators or corporations empowered to do so by a law aimed at preventing fraud against the federal government.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2025
The series centers on Cage’s titular character who is an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York; he’s later forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero, as the logline teases.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
As the legal arguments escalated and spilt into the public, Magnier and McManus applied pressure on Ferguson in January 2004 by issuing 99 questions on United’s transfer dealings, buying more shares and hiring private investigators.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The whistleblower lawsuit is one of many filed by private investigators or corporations empowered to do so by a law aimed at preventing fraud against the federal government.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2025
The series centers on Cage’s titular character who is an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York; he’s later forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero, as the logline teases.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
As the legal arguments escalated and spilt into the public, Magnier and McManus applied pressure on Ferguson in January 2004 by issuing 99 questions on United’s transfer dealings, buying more shares and hiring private investigators.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private investigator
Noun
-
Jamie McBride is an LAPD detective with 35 years of experience on the force.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2025
-
And Natasha Lyonne, who plays amateur detective Charlie Cale, wears almost as many hats: actress, director, writer and producer.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
Few people, other than the investigators, had been inside the Pulse building before this past week.—
Skyler Swisher,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2025
-
Middle Street and Lake Avenue were closed for several hours while investigators were at the scene.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
McKinnon will play Joe Dahl, a private detective investigating a decade-old murder.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
-
Directed by Jonathan Li and Choy Man-yu, the film stars Louis Koo as a private detective investigating a complex case involving adultery and murder.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
The idea of a lesbian private eye isn’t even that new either, since Jess Franco had two in a pair of his most enjoyable exploitation movies (Sadisterotika and Kiss Me, Monster, both 1969).—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
24 May 2025
-
The track ended the contract after only a few months of effort by the private eyes.—
Katie Bo Lillis,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share