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Showing results for private detective. Search instead for privatinitiative.
Definitions

private detective

NOUN
detective employed by private parties
Synonyms
STRONGEST
detective gumshoe private eye private investigator sleuth
WEAK
P.I. Sherlock Holmes beagle dick flatfoot inquiry agent inspector investigator operative private dick skip tracer sleuthhound spotter tec

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.

Claude, meanwhile, having left the police to become a private detective, is obsessed with solving a string of related wartime murders, including that of Huguette’s father.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Three flavors of investigators combine here: the citizen detective, the private detective and the police detective.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Marten's family also hired a private detective to find her.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 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

He got his revenge by founding the first private detective agency in the world.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day