How to Use private detective in a Sentence

private detective

noun
  • This changed with the arrival of the private detective in the ’40s.
    — George Wead, Slate Magazine, 1 Sep. 2017
  • The follow-up to the 2019 hit film will once again star Daniel Craig as private detective Benoit Blanc.
    — Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022
  • White private detectives who came in and got close to the truth, also were murdered.
    — Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Swalwell even hired a private detective to track down Brooks, with no luck.
    — Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 3 June 2021
  • Teri said the private detective asked both her and Joe to be hypnotized.
    — jsonline.com, 27 Sep. 2017
  • Enter Raymond Schindler, a private detective who, like the mob that rushed the station, wielded a rope of his own.
    — Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2021
  • Over lunch, private detective Jake Gittes asks wealthy villain Noah Cross about the purpose of the land baron’s vast fortune.
    — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2021
  • In 1850, Pinkerton started his own private detective agency—the first of its kind in the country.
    — Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2022
  • When that business failed to take off, Patrick helped Casey launch a private detective agency.
    — Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 19 Nov. 2022
  • Hired to prove Angel’s guilt, Cristiano, a private detective, soon falls for her charms.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Oct. 2021
  • The case was re-opened after Michelle’s mother hired a private detective a year later.
    — jsonline.com, 4 Oct. 2017
  • That version had Zendaya’s Rue grow up to be a private detective.
    — Zoe Guy, Vulture, 11 June 2024
  • That version had Zendaya’s Rue grow up to be a private detective.
    — Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Hiring private detectives to spy on labor unions was one of the classic dirty tricks of the period.
    — April White, Smithsonian, 22 Mar. 2018
  • Rong and the private detective met again, but the project in California fizzled out.
    — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 23 July 2021
  • Cher was once tailed by private detectives hired by Sonny Bono.
    — Marina Watts, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024
  • Lionel Essrog is a private detective who doesn’t let Tourette’s syndrome stand in the way of his job.
    — Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
  • Lionel Essrog is a private detective who doesn’t let Tourette’s syndrome stand in the way of his job.
    — Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
  • Lionel Essrog is a private detective who doesn’t let Tourette’s syndrome stand in the way of his job.
    — Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
  • Lionel Essrog is a private detective who doesn’t let Tourette’s syndrome stand in the way of his job.
    — Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021
  • Lionel Essrog is a private detective who doesn’t let Tourette’s syndrome stand in the way of his job.
    — Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
  • Strike and private detective Robin Ellacott then try to solve the murder.
    — Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022
  • Procopio said the search by the State Police was not prompted by the private detective’s findings.
    — John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023
  • Pleguar does event-staffing and holds a private detective agency license.
    — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 24 May 2021
  • For several years now, Noland has scraped out a living as a private detective.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
  • Veronica's father is a private detective who used to be the town's sheriff until a fall from grace.
    — Milan Polk, Men's Health, 29 Sep. 2022
  • In the sequel to 2019's Murder Mystery, the Spitzes are now private detectives launching their own agency.
    — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Mann’s father was searching for her via a private detective for nearly a year when she was found in England and returned home.
    — Jenn Pelly, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2021
  • In the pilot, Todd (Astin) has had his private detective licensed revoked, and is in bad financial shape.
    — oregonlive, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Bogart—best known as the swaggering nightclub owner from Casablanca and the scotch-slinging private detective from The Maltese Falcon—has been dead since the 1950s.
    — Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'private detective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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