private investigator
Americannoun
-
private investigators
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Around December 2022, the crypto platform OKX received a tip from a private investigator about a suspicious wallet hosted on its platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Join local social-media groups, call board officers directly, or use personal connections to get information before making an offer, said Dave Amis, a private investigator in Austin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Epstein hired a private investigator to trace the missing assistant, Anya says.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
"When I was growing up, I dreamed about becoming a private investigator," she said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Fenton Hardy, Frank and Joe’s dad, was a private investigator who used to work with the local Bayport police force.
From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
