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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Recent Examples of private detective
Monaghan and Cannavale have been typecast as LAPD investigators, while Bacon is a hard, grizzled private detective.
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Wolfgang Ruth, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
Watch on Deadline The Strike series follows a war veteran turned private detective named Cormoran Strike.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024
In 1991, Jones won two Emmys, one for his portrayal of private detective Gabriel Bird in Gabriel’s Fire, the other for his supporting role in the TV movie Heat Wave, a drama about the 1965 Watts race riots.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
Amid scenes of semen being used as hair gel and testicles jammed in zippers, the Farrelly Brothers managed to concoct an amiable story about the nerdy Ted (Ben Stiller) hiring a private detective to find Mary (Cameron Diaz), the object of his unrequited love in high school.
—Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private detective 
Wolfgang Ruth, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2024
Watch on Deadline The Strike series follows a war veteran turned private detective named Cormoran Strike.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024
In 1991, Jones won two Emmys, one for his portrayal of private detective Gabriel Bird in Gabriel’s Fire, the other for his supporting role in the TV movie Heat Wave, a drama about the 1965 Watts race riots.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
Amid scenes of semen being used as hair gel and testicles jammed in zippers, the Farrelly Brothers managed to concoct an amiable story about the nerdy Ted (Ben Stiller) hiring a private detective to find Mary (Cameron Diaz), the object of his unrequited love in high school.
—Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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In 2010, cold case detectives recovered additional items and sent them for DNA testing, leading to the DNA profile of a male suspect.Alaa Elassar, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
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Police said no suspects were in custody and that area detectives were investigating the shooting.Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The lieutenant also said investigators have taken statements from the dozens of witnesses who were in the area, and are also gathering video surveillance.NBC San Diego, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
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Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said Thursday that investigators were leaning toward ruling the start of the fire as human-caused.Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The series mixes the everyday with the inexplicable beautifully, with a standout performance by Cynthia Erivo as an eccentric private eye.Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024
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The report also indicates the two have taken care to keep their romance out of the private eye for what seems to be a substantial amount of time.Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Leaf’s deputy and private investigator grilled several town clerks and managed to seize one voting machine, according to local reports and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2024
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As John Black, across more than 4,200 episodes, Hogestyn was a spy, mercenary, police officer, private investigator and secret agent.Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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