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
Alex is, at once, a proactive gumshoe and a reactive Mia-Farrow-in-Rosemary’s-Baby-type figure.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
Alas, by then the cheese heiress has skipped the country, and one Mickey Finn later our gumshoe comes to consciousness aboard an eastbound ship on the Atlantic.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter films, helms the comedic caper, which follows an amiable gang of gumshoes who spend their golden years investigating cold cases.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
But like John Sugar, this humble TV gumshoe ain’t going anywhere.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
Alas, by then the cheese heiress has skipped the country, and one Mickey Finn later our gumshoe comes to consciousness aboard an eastbound ship on the Atlantic.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter films, helms the comedic caper, which follows an amiable gang of gumshoes who spend their golden years investigating cold cases.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
But like John Sugar, this humble TV gumshoe ain’t going anywhere.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gumshoe
Noun
-
Guy Ritchie directed both Sherlock Holmes films, which starred Jude Law as the titular detective's sidekick Watson.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
-
Her detective Lord Peter Wimsey was usually to be found in the upper-class households and clubs that defined a certain strata of English society in the 1920s and 1930s.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Noun
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On Thursday, investigators searched a property on Blackie Road in Prunedale, where detectives found a skid steer, forklift and four-stall luxury restroom trailer, each reported stolen from a Salinas rental construction business in November 2025, the office said.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
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At the time the alert system was activated, investigators believed the kids were in extreme danger, ABC affiliate WJCL reported.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoe. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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