1
as in policeman
a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level
a hard-bitten L.A. shamus who, when he's not battling crooks, is locking horns with his superiors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
he's a shamus who mostly finds evidence to use in divorce cases
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamus
Noun
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My father came from a large family from Corfu and had served as a policeman in Lefkada.
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Yesterday, the Sun asked this question of a wide variety of people – an auxiliary policeman, a protest marcher, a steelworker, a politician, a barber, a bridegroom, a bootblack and others.
Noun
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My dad, a police detective, made sure the Klansman saw his service revolver on his waist.
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Police ask any witnesses who were not contacted by authorities at the scene to contact detectives at (805) 654-9511.
Noun
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Robert Karroll was shot in his ballistic vest by an 18-year-old gunman who approached the officer’s unmarked vehicle in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, cops said.
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The cops posted outside of the nearby Swarovski and PINK stores are similarly unwilling to entertain my interrogations.
Noun
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Hinds County’s chief death investigator, Jeramiah Howard, attributed her death to the heat.
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Carla Walker cold case The 1974 murder of 17-year-old Carla Walker in Fort Worth, Texas, went unsolved for more than four decades before advanced DNA testing helped investigators identify her killer.
Noun
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His behavior under stress is dangerous to his officers and crew, and his authority is questioned.
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Some relief workers are using donkeys and bulldozers to remove solid waste, according to Louise Wateridge, a communications officer for the UN’s children’s agency in the Middle East and North Africa.
Noun
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Troopers and Beacon Falls constables responded to the home and detained Drozdowski, state police said.
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Denise Paul Hatch, a former Center Township constable, is appealing her 2024 felony conviction for official misconduct.
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Cite this Entry
“Shamus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamus. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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