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Synonyms

private detective

American  

noun

  1. a detective who is not a member of an official force but is employed by private parties.

private detective British  

noun

  1. Also called: private investigator.  an individual privately employed to investigate a crime, keep watch on a suspected person, or make other inquiries

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

A private detective, Auguste Bell, arrives to solve the crime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

The move was recommended by the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report, which looked at the force's handling of the unsolved murder of private detective Daniel Morgan.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

A private detective finally found Madrigal living in Las Vegas with her oldest son, Oren, who didn’t learn about his mother’s tragic, historic past until answering the researcher’s call.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2024

This much I can tell you: Colin Farrell plays a private detective in “Sugar.”

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2024

Anna’s guardian, the Reverend Dr. Black, had hired a private detective who had come to Holmes’s building.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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.