private investigator
Americannoun
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.
A private investigator who was initially a key witness in a privacy case brought by several claimants against the publisher of the Daily Mail, including Prince Harry, has denied "switching sides" out of revenge.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
Griffiths said her behaviour was proof she would "draw a line" between her professional and personal life, claiming she had never used a private investigator or hacked a phone.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 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
White learned of the statement that private investigator No. 28 had obtained from the Kaw Indian woman, in which Rose had confessed to being the murderer.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
