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
Listen to this article Over the last quarter century, David Suchet became the definitive Hercule Poirot, starring as the fussy but perceptive private detective in 70 screen adaptations of Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries.
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Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
In places like Altadena, the brunt was endured by low-income households, many inhabited by renters rather than owners—not the sort of folk who could pay for ample insurance coverage, let alone for private detectives.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
That version had Zendaya’s Rue grow up to be a private detective.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
Bogart—best known as the swaggering nightclub owner from Casablanca and the scotch-slinging private detective from The Maltese Falcon—has been dead since the 1950s.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
In places like Altadena, the brunt was endured by low-income households, many inhabited by renters rather than owners—not the sort of folk who could pay for ample insurance coverage, let alone for private detectives.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
That version had Zendaya’s Rue grow up to be a private detective.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
Bogart—best known as the swaggering nightclub owner from Casablanca and the scotch-slinging private detective from The Maltese Falcon—has been dead since the 1950s.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office declined to bring charges after speaking with CMPD detectives, the department said.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Apr. 2025
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The movie is based on the Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and Jerry Zucker franchise The Naked Gun that originally starred Leslie Nielsen as self-serious detective Frank Drebin, who managed to fail up through the ranks of the police squad.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The IP address and phone number associated with the files belonged to Green, investigators said.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
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The investigator observed Wright with a 16-year-old girl, according to federal officials.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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These private eyes spy on children in order to determine who is or isn’t living within the district’s strict attendance boundaries.—
Tim Deroche,
Orange County Register,
28 Jan. 2025
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In that time, Will has started over as a private eye in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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As authorities continue searching for her remains, a private investigator is pushing to unseal case records.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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Private Eyes West Coast will see private investigators Matt Shade (Priestley) and Angie Everett (Sampson) solving cases in Victoria, British Columbia.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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