as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the firm hired a hawkshaw to find out who was fencing stock from their warehouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hawkshaw
Noun
  • According to detectives, the couple made statements that concerned them during that visit, 48 Hours reports.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Lynch played the detective, and his voice and delivery is a big part of what makes this piece such a riveting, hilarious watch.
    Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The forum is dominated by anonymous posts about would-be applicants complaining about waiting months to hear back from background investigators.
    Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Eleven fire departments from surrounding regions responded to the blaze, which investigators determined was arson, according to the sheriff’s office.
    Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • 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
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Hawkshaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hawkshaw. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

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