as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
unable to get the interest of the police, they hired a private eye to find their missing daughter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private eye
The indie is set in a near future society ruled by sentient artificial intelligence and has a private eye investigate a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord.
—
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
In that time, Will has started over as a private eye in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025
When a judge tentatively allowed the music to bang on this fall, sonic private eyes and city officials patrolled the neighborhood with microphones and decibel meters, gathering ammunition for the battle.
—Katie Thornton, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
In that time, Will has started over as a private eye in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025
When a judge tentatively allowed the music to bang on this fall, sonic private eyes and city officials patrolled the neighborhood with microphones and decibel meters, gathering ammunition for the battle.
—Katie Thornton, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for private eye
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye
Noun
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Katt's other notable roles included that of teacher Harry Senate on the school drama Boston Public, crooked finance associate Greg Weinstein in Boiler Room, and detective Frank Duggar in Speakeasy.—
Kat Stinson,
EW.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Baltimore County Police Homicide Unit detectives are investigating the shooting.—
Michelle Deal-Zimmerman,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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An unattended cooking fire killed a toddler in the middle of the night, and the child’s parents now face involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the tragedy, according to investigators in North Carolina.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Mar. 2025
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The sheriff's office has no jurisdiction over the case but sent detectives to the island to assist local investigators.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC News,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Its harm is felt when a reporter accosts a convalescing patient in the hospital, when a private detective peers through a neighbor's bedroom window for weeks, and when a photographer snaps an opportunistic photo of a woman's underwear.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2025
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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.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The duke had sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publisher of British tabloids The Sun and the now-shuttered News of the World – claiming journalists and private investigators working for the publications had targeted him and his family between 1996 and 2011.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
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During the event, Moore displayed poster boards of Eady, which were blurred by Bravo, and said they were provided to her by a private investigator.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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