private investigator
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of private investigator
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
Private investigator Thomas McNally is working to dispel online speculation linking Melissa Casias’s disappearance to the scientists.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
Private investigator Gavin Burrows, whose alleged work for Associated Newspapers is relied on by the claimants in support of their lawsuits, said it was not true that he conducted unlawful information gathering for the publisher.
From Reuters • Mar. 28, 2023
Private investigator Daniel Morgan, 38, and his business partner at Southern Investigations, Jonathan Rees, meet for a drink in the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2021
Private investigator Ted McDonough, who knew Geas, told The Boston Globe: "Freddy hated rats."
From Fox News • Oct. 31, 2018
Private investigator Garth Bruen can't reliably determine who owns and operates disturbing Web sites because of the cloak of anonymity enjoyed by many businesses online.
From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2013
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.
