private investigator

American  

noun

1. private detective. PI, p.i., P.I.

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Etymology

Origin of private investigator

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

David Sherborne, for the claimants, repeatedly questioned the private investigator about the statement on Monday - having been given permission by the judge to treat him as a hostile witness and conduct a cross-examination.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

The Advocates have since ceased operations, but co-founder and private investigator, Cynthia Liles, is still running the hotline under the name 2x2 Church Accountability.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Hartley said the internal inquiry was mainly relying on the spreadsheets of payments to Whittamore - which might have been inaccurate - not the notes of the private investigator himself.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

In 1986, Don Winslow was a 33-year-old New York-born, world-traveling private investigator who, during stakeouts, read crime fiction by authors such as Elmore Leonard, James Ellroy and Joseph Wambaugh.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

"Hello. If you're looking for a snowbound private investigator, you've got the right number."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• P.I.
• inquiry agent
• private detective
• private dick
• private eye
• private investigator
• sleuth