private investigator

as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of private investigator Bob Hoskins plays the private investigator Eddie Valiant, who must overcome his grudge against toons when he’s hired to exonerate Roger Rabbit from murder charges. Zack Sharf, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024 She's hired various private investigators to find out her true identity, but only the low-rent Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson) is still on the case. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024 Atchison's defense attorney Ben Powers had asked Chappell to disqualify the DA's office from prosecuting the case because Powers and a private investigator were pictured in the audit. Craig Shoup, The Tennessean, 22 Dec. 2024 Two attorneys for Danny Masterson and a private investigator could face disciplinary investigations for their conduct toward jurors after the disgraced actor’s rape conviction, a judge ruled Tuesday. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for private investigator 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private investigator
Noun
  • David Hasselhoff and company tried to make this after-dark Baywatch spinoff work, but turning frequently shirtless lifeguard Mitch into a second-shift detective wasn’t a natural progression for the character.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024
  • Questioning John is Lou Smit, a homicide detective then working for the Boulder D.A.'s office.
    Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images SEOUL and LONDON -- The two survivors of South Korea's deadliest plane crash in decades were recovering at separate hospitals in Seoul on Monday, as investigators began far-reaching probes into both the fatal crash and the country's broader aviation operations.
    Joohee Cho, ABC News, 30 Dec. 2024
  • The two men and teenage boy were treated, released and interviewed by investigators, according to a statement issued Thursday.
    Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Colorado private detective Ollie Gray and his partner, John Sangustin, were hired by the Ramseys in 1999.
    Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2024
  • Per the report, citing one of three sources familiar with the matter, U.S. authorities believe the DCI Group, a public affairs and lobbying company working for Exxon back in 2015, had compiled a list of targets and provided them to an Israeli private detective, who then outsourced the hacking.
    Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • 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
  • In Hot Spot, set in a near future society ruled by sentient A.I., a private eye investigates a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near private investigator

Cite this Entry

“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

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