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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of private investigator
The response was sparse, but later, a private investigator who had seen a TV interview with Mr. Wright, for whom David had had no address, advised David to make an effort to call him.
—
Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The whistleblower lawsuit is one of many filed by private investigators or corporations empowered to do so by a law aimed at preventing fraud against the federal government.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2025
The series centers on Cage’s titular character who is an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York; he’s later forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero, as the logline teases.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
As the legal arguments escalated and spilt into the public, Magnier and McManus applied pressure on Ferguson in January 2004 by issuing 99 questions on United’s transfer dealings, buying more shares and hiring private investigators.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The whistleblower lawsuit is one of many filed by private investigators or corporations empowered to do so by a law aimed at preventing fraud against the federal government.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2025
The series centers on Cage’s titular character who is an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York; he’s later forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero, as the logline teases.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025
As the legal arguments escalated and spilt into the public, Magnier and McManus applied pressure on Ferguson in January 2004 by issuing 99 questions on United’s transfer dealings, buying more shares and hiring private investigators.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for private investigator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private investigator
Noun
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While genre fiction steadily advances onto bestseller lists, realism soldiers on, amid cyborgs and dragons and boozy detectives.—
Hamilton Cain,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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Last week, prosecutors called their final witness, the Chicago police detective who was the lead investigator in the case.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Though Watkins had first been ruled out as a suspect in the killing of 20-year-old Isaac Dawkins, who was shot in the head while driving on a highway in Rome in 2000, he was pursued by Floyd County police and investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to his complaint.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
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Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office investigators are working to determine how the child ended up in the water, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Its harm is felt when a reporter accosts a convalescing patient in the hospital, when a private detective peers through a neighbor's bedroom window for weeks, and when a photographer snaps an opportunistic photo of a woman's underwear.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2025
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So far, Florence has not come forward with any further information other than a 2008 statement sent by his attorney, Neil Rosenberg, to private detective Don Corbett.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The dark comedy reaches its Season 1 conclusion Friday on NBC and it’s poised to bring a new set of twists and cliffhangers as the group tries to evade law enforcement and a private eye plotting blackmail.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
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Levitt stars in Killer Heat as Nick Bali, a private eye who travels to the Greek island of Crete to investigate the death of shipping magnate Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden), who plunged to his death during a free solo rock climb.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
26 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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