as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the couple paid a gumshoe to look for their missing son
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gumshoe
Natasha Lyonne is back as TV’s favorite gumshoe detective with Poker Face season two, and the official trailer teases the adventures she’s poised to head on when the 12-episode season launches May 8 on Peacock (followed by a weekly release).
—
Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
The platform that made a gumshoe as flimsy as Benoit Blanc the center of his own franchise owes her all that and more.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Lansbury became a household name thanks to her portrayal of an unusual gumshoe, often in perilous situations but always polite and clutching a sensible handbag.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
The platform that made a gumshoe as flimsy as Benoit Blanc the center of his own franchise owes her all that and more.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Lansbury became a household name thanks to her portrayal of an unusual gumshoe, often in perilous situations but always polite and clutching a sensible handbag.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gumshoe
Noun
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During the operation, Hodge sold more than 200 grams of methamphetamine to undercover detectives, police said.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Aug. 2025
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Serbian medical detective story Guardians of the Formula about the first bone marrow transplant during the Cold War years.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Panjabi is likely best known, however, for her work on series like Life on Mars (2006–2007) and as investigator Kalinda Sharma on The Good Wife (2009–2015), the latter of which earned her three Emmy nominations and one win.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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After making it into the apartment, the brothers jumped off a second floor balcony to escape, investigators say.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoe. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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