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Definitions

private investigator

NOUN

detective employed by private parties

Synonyms

STRONGEST

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

STRONG

detective gumshoe investigator

WEAK

Sherlock Holmes agent beagle bird dog bloodhound dick skip tracer sleuthhound snoop spotter

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.

The ultraviolent 1991 film was directed by her former husband Renny Harlin and co-starred Samuel L. Jackson as a lowly private investigator.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Our everyman is Ben Reilly — played by the incomparable Nicolas Cage, making his live-action television debut — a private investigator who moonlights as the city’s only superhero, the Spider.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Wright later called an allegation of paying a private investigator to "blag" information from Lady Lawrence "absolute nonsense".

From BBC • Feb. 17, 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

He hired a private investigator to dig into their personal lives.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

private investigator

Example Sentences

Related Words