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.
Enter Dell Chandler, a failed English professor turned bootstrapping private detective, hired by Dr. Cutty to investigate.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
A private detective, Auguste Bell, arrives to solve the crime.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
She said a private detective hired by the family found no criminal records for a person named Paramjit Singh in the state, suggesting authorities may have mistaken him for someone else.
From BBC • Oct. 13, 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
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
