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.
His latest role is as a former cop turned private detective in Peacock’s new crime thriller, “M.I.A.,” streaming now.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
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
Marten's family also hired a private detective to find her.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025
After the alleged extortion started, Huang said, he hired an attorney and a private detective and began surreptitiously recording conversations with the defendants.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2024
It was one of the best known and most reputable private detective agencies in New York.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
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.
