private detective

American

noun

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

private detective British

noun

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.

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

Three flavors of investigators combine here: the citizen detective, the private detective and the police detective.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 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

A lawyer and a former private detective with the Burns agency, Davis had a groomed sleekness.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

private detective

noun

noun

Etymology

Origin of private detective

Example Sentences

Related Words