Thesaurus results for PRIVATE EYE

private eye

noun

Definition of private eye

as in detective

a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons unable to get the interest of the police, they hired a private eye to find their missing daughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of private eye With the Christmas action hit under his belt and the private eye dramedy’s cancellation in 1989, the actor moved into film work full-time. — Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova. — Rick Ellis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Daniel was with Caron from the very beginning of Moonlighting, which starred Shepherd as Maddie Hayes, owner of the struggling Blue Moon Detective Agency, and Bruce Willis as David Addison, the playful private eye who goes to work for her. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026 Nicolas Cage, in his first live-action television role, plays Ben Reilly, a down-at-the-heels private eye, spiking his morning coffee with whiskey helpfully provided by his knowing secretary, Janet (Karen Rodriguez), and barely scraping by on the occasional divorce case. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for private eye

Recent Examples of Synonyms for private eye

Noun

Sheriff’s officials said Mullennix pointed a gun at a detective and threatened to shoot him before barricading herself inside the home.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Investigators said Mullennix ran inside when a detective tried to contact her, then allegedly pointed a gun from a window and threatened to shoot him.

— Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of detective

Noun

In a statement posted to Facebook, the Wichita Police Department asked anyone with video of the incident to upload it so investigators could take a look.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
The Roseville-Rocklin regional SWAT team assisted investigators in serving the warrant Friday morning.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of investigator

Noun

His plan was to hire a private detective and get to the bottom of this treachery.

— Deborah Day, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Andy Anderson, once a private detective for Griffin Investigations, demonstrated this remarkable feat of motivated reasoning in the 2004 documentary The Hot Shoe.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of private detective

Noun

Then a character actor who plays a private investigator blew us all out of the water on the first take, just completely out-acting us all!

— Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
But private investigators hired to recover the Cadillac began tracking it.

— Steve Fisher Special Correspondent Follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of private investigator

Browse Nearby Words

privateers

private eye

private eyes

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“Private eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private%20eye. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of private eye

noun

Example Sentences

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