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.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

A private detective, Auguste Bell, arrives to solve the crime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

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

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

Both articles were produced during a period when the newspaper has acknowledged paying the private detective explicitly to obtain material surreptitiously.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2024

The private detective, sensing that he was on the verge of a breakthrough, hurried to the Ralston business where the call originated.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann