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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of private detective
According to the lawsuit that Rocky later filed, the father of seven claimed Kevin hired a private detective to investigate Keiko.
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Alex Gurley, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024
Starring and executive-produced by Farrell (who currently headlines HBO’s The Penguin), Sugar is a contemporary and unique take on the private detective genre.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2024
There is a big difference between hiring a skilled private detective and pulling an OSINT report at your convenience.
—Tom Madsen, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
After three years of high school heroism on Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), brooding bloodsucker Angel got his own spinoff series, becoming a private detective stalking the streets of a noir-ish Los Angeles.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private detective 
Alex Gurley, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024
Starring and executive-produced by Farrell (who currently headlines HBO’s The Penguin), Sugar is a contemporary and unique take on the private detective genre.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2024
There is a big difference between hiring a skilled private detective and pulling an OSINT report at your convenience.
—Tom Madsen, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
After three years of high school heroism on Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), brooding bloodsucker Angel got his own spinoff series, becoming a private detective stalking the streets of a noir-ish Los Angeles.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private detective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private detective
Noun
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During a Monday news conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said detectives were traveling to Altoona, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh, to interview Mangione.James Powel, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
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Joseph Kenny, the NYPD's chief of detectives, confirmed Monday that the note is now in the possession of the Altoona Police Department.Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Kenny added that investigators found evidence that Mangione knew of UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference in New York City.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
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Federal investigators began looking into Jafari-Hassad’s operation in 2019.Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) A box-office disappointment, this adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel actually got more attention for then-newcomer Don Cheadle’s scene-stealing turn as a lunatic associate of Washington’s main character, the cool, calculating private eye Easy Rawlins.Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2024
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Once there, he gets wrapped up in a mystery, befriends a private eye named Perry (Val Kilmer), and reconnects with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a childhood crush.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
Noun
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After the hearing, one of the Jane Does whom Masterson was convicted of raping said the same private investigator has reached out to people connected to her personal life.Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
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The GoFundMe will also help pay to hire a private investigator to look into the boy's death.Sean Neumann, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near private detective
Cite this Entry
“Private detective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20detective. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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