noun
- Someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information.
- synonyms: PI, private eye, private investigator, operative, shamus, sherlock
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). private detective. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/private_detective/definitions/1231635 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "private detective" http://smartdefine.org/private_detective/definitions/1231635 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, private detective, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/private_detective/definitions/1231635>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "private detective" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/private_detective/definitions/1231635> |