as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons the firm hired a hawkshaw to find out who was fencing stock from their warehouse

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Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hawkshaw
Noun
  • In 2010, cold case detectives recovered additional items and sent them for DNA testing, leading to the DNA profile of a male suspect.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Police said no suspects were in custody and that area detectives were investigating the shooting.
    Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The lieutenant also said investigators have taken statements from the dozens of witnesses who were in the area, and are also gathering video surveillance.
    NBC San Diego, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said Thursday that investigators were leaning toward ruling the start of the fire as human-caused.
    Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The series mixes the everyday with the inexplicable beautifully, with a standout performance by Cynthia Erivo as an eccentric private eye.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024
  • The report also indicates the two have taken care to keep their romance out of the private eye for what seems to be a substantial amount of time.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 24 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Hawkshaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hawkshaw. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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