private detective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is the first of five novels starring Neal Carey: “a graduate student who, much like me,” the author wrote, “was too busy making a living as a private detective to finish his degree.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

The move was recommended by the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report, which looked at the force's handling of the unsolved murder of private detective Daniel Morgan.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

I can also tell you that his character, John Sugar, is not an ordinary private detective, in ways that go beyond his fetishization of the film noir heroes he emulates.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2024

She wants to solve her mystery, as every private detective does.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2024

This private detective is the creation of San Francisco’s own literary son, Dashiell Hammett, and appeared in his novel The Maltese Falcon, as well as three short stories.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman