as in detectives
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 gumshoes
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
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gumshoes
Noun
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Homicide detectives are investigating the incident as a drive-by shooting, police said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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Wentworth Area detectives were investigating.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some of them said that the investigators initially did not contact important figures at the company.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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No information on the possible charges those people face was shared by investigators.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoes. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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