private detective
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of private detective
First recorded in 1865–70
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
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
Directed by Arthur Penn, who had previously worked with the actor on his breakthrough role in “Bonnie and Clyde,” Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a former pro football player turned L.A. private detective.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
“Vaughan who is well acquainted with the Indians stated that his real interest in the case was to...have the guilty party prosecuted,” a private detective wrote.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
