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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Examples of private investigator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Continue reading here… PILLOW TALK - Rock Hudson’s wife secretly recorded gay confession for private investigator, book claims.
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Fox News Staff, Fox News, 28 May 2024
In the interview, Prince Harry described the tactics used by the tabloids, including voice mail inception, unlawful information gathering and the use of private investigators to get credit card details and flight information for him and his love interests over the years.
—Maija Ehlinger, CNN, 25 July 2024
Someone very powerful hired private investigator John Labat (Kevin Bacon) to track down Maxine, whose real name is Maxine Miller.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 July 2024
In this dark dive into the world of superheroes, Krysten Ritter plays a private investigator who gave up her days as a superhero after a major catastrophe.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for private investigator 
Fox News Staff, Fox News, 28 May 2024
In the interview, Prince Harry described the tactics used by the tabloids, including voice mail inception, unlawful information gathering and the use of private investigators to get credit card details and flight information for him and his love interests over the years.
—Maija Ehlinger, CNN, 25 July 2024
Someone very powerful hired private investigator John Labat (Kevin Bacon) to track down Maxine, whose real name is Maxine Miller.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 July 2024
In this dark dive into the world of superheroes, Krysten Ritter plays a private investigator who gave up her days as a superhero after a major catastrophe.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for private investigator
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'private investigator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Private investigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20investigator. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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