private investigator
noun
: a person not a member of a police force who is licensed to do detective work (such as investigation of suspected wrongdoing or searching for missing persons)
Examples of private investigator in a Sentence
She hired a private investigator to follow her husband.
the retired policeman decided to become a private investigator
Recent Examples on the Web
Fed up, Anna hired a private investigator suggested by a friend of a friend who’s an entertainment mogul.
—
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
Her mother said a private investigator revealed that her daughter's boyfriend, William Canterbury, had previously been arrested for domestic violence.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
The immersive series, helmed by Jacaranda co-founders Diana Glenn and Sarah Goodes, places audiences inside the mind of disgraced ex-SFPD detective Veronica Coltrane, now working as a private investigator who becomes entangled in a deadly conspiracy after a surveillance job goes wrong.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2025
So far, there's nothing to indicate any criminality Carl DeFazio, formerly of the NYPD, was brought on as the private investigator in the case.
—July 5, CBS News, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
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Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
Her mother said a private investigator revealed that her daughter's boyfriend, William Canterbury, had previously been arrested for domestic violence.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
The immersive series, helmed by Jacaranda co-founders Diana Glenn and Sarah Goodes, places audiences inside the mind of disgraced ex-SFPD detective Veronica Coltrane, now working as a private investigator who becomes entangled in a deadly conspiracy after a surveillance job goes wrong.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2025
So far, there's nothing to indicate any criminality Carl DeFazio, formerly of the NYPD, was brought on as the private investigator in the case.
—July 5, CBS News, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20investigator. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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