private investigator
Americannoun
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.
"When I was growing up, I dreamed about becoming a private investigator," she said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
His friends hired a private investigator and hung fliers begging him to come back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
“When I applied to become a private investigator, I had assumed that there would be a little bit more back-and-forth,” she told me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The investigation was officially reopened in June 2024 after a private investigator hired by her son passed a 24-page report to Greek authorities.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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
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.
