How to Use private detective in a Sentence

private detective

noun
  • This changed with the arrival of the private detective in the ’40s.
    George Wead, Slate Magazine, 1 Sep. 2017
  • The follow-up to the 2019 hit film will once again star Daniel Craig as private detective Benoit Blanc.
    Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022
  • White private detectives who came in and got close to the truth, also were murdered.
    Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Swalwell even hired a private detective to track down Brooks, with no luck.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 3 June 2021
  • Teri said the private detective asked both her and Joe to be hypnotized.
    jsonline.com, 27 Sep. 2017
  • Enter Raymond Schindler, a private detective who, like the mob that rushed the station, wielded a rope of his own.
    Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
  • Over lunch, private detective Jake Gittes asks wealthy villain Noah Cross about the purpose of the land baron’s vast fortune.
    Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2021
  • In 1850, Pinkerton started his own private detective agency—the first of its kind in the country.
    Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2022
  • When that business failed to take off, Patrick helped Casey launch a private detective agency.
    Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 19 Nov. 2022
  • Hired to prove Angel’s guilt, Cristiano, a private detective, soon falls for her charms.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2021
  • The case was re-opened after Michelle’s mother hired a private detective a year later.
    jsonline.com, 4 Oct. 2017
  • Hiring private detectives to spy on labor unions was one of the classic dirty tricks of the period.
    April White, Smithsonian, 22 Mar. 2018
  • Rong and the private detective met again, but the project in California fizzled out.
    Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 23 July 2021
  • Lionel Essrog is a private detective who doesn’t let Tourette’s syndrome stand in the way of his job.
    Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
  • Strike and private detective Robin Ellacott then try to solve the murder.
    Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022
  • Procopio said the search by the State Police was not prompted by the private detective’s findings.
    John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023
  • Pleguar does event-staffing and holds a private detective agency license.
    Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 24 May 2021
  • Veronica's father is a private detective who used to be the town's sheriff until a fall from grace.
    Milan Polk, Men's Health, 29 Sep. 2022
  • In the sequel to 2019's Murder Mystery, the Spitzes are now private detectives launching their own agency.
    Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Mann’s father was searching for her via a private detective for nearly a year when she was found in England and returned home.
    Jenn Pelly, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2021
  • In the pilot, Todd (Astin) has had his private detective licensed revoked, and is in bad financial shape.
    oregonlive, 2 Feb. 2023
  • As the story opens, Brodie is coping with his shambles of a personal life while working as a private detective on the west coast of England.
    Bruce Desilva, Dallas News, 25 June 2019
  • Mars is a grungier Nancy Drew, your private detective next door.
    Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, 17 Jan. 2019
  • But private detective Joe Moura says there is no evidence to support that.
    Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2019
  • Kate Warne, the first female private detective, begins work.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 12 Apr. 2022
  • When Laura disappears and David’s bank account is emptied, David must work with a private detective named Gina to find out the truth.
    oregonlive, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Alexander, a private detective, is too caught up in his latest case, a missing child, to want to venture into having his own.
    Clea Simon, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2019
  • Their father, Greg Corwin, had spent tens of thousands of dollars on private detectives to learn what happened.
    Kimberly Fornek, chicagotribune.com, 30 Apr. 2018
  • Hye-jun is a genius hacker and Su-cheol runs a private detective agency.
    Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 28 June 2022
  • William Dear has made headlines for decades as an obsessive private detective.
    Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'private detective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: