Meanings
plural private eyes
- idiomaticA private personal detective, employed to gather information about someone.
Synonyms: private investigator, PI
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA private personal detective, employed to gather information about someone.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who can be employed as a detective to collect information and assist in criminal investigations
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From private investigator and its abbreviation PI, through the homophonic term eye in place of "I", and the use of "eye" as a reference to surveillance.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech soukromé očko, soukromý detektiv
- soukromé očkoA private personal detective
- soukromý detektivA private personal detective
Finnish yksityisetsivä
- yksityisetsiväA private personal detective
German Privatdetektiv, Schnüffler
- PrivatdetektivA private personal detective
- SchnüfflerA private personal detective
Polish prywatny detektyw
- prywatny detektywA private personal detective
Swedish privatdeckare
- privatdeckareA private personal detective
Cite this entry
private eye. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20eye
“private eye.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20eye. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “private eye,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20eye.
Source: private eye on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.