1
as in policemen
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detectives
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 shamuses
Noun
-
He was engaged in a battle of courtesy with some policemen over a brand of cigarettes called Long Life.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026 -
Two Israeli strikes early Sunday in the Gaza Strip killed six Palestinians, including three policemen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Homicide detectives are investigating the incident as a drive-by shooting, police said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Wentworth Area detectives were investigating.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The officers conducted a pat frisk, allegedly finding a firearm from one suspect’s jacket, police said.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Two officers were seen covering the object with a canopy.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of them said that the investigators initially did not contact important figures at the company.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
No information on the possible charges those people face was shared by investigators.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The driver who hit him didn’t remain at the scene, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
My friend Thai, whose parents were part of the Weather Underground leadership, remembers his father, Jeff Jones, coming home one day to find their family’s Hoboken apartment surrounded by cops—a fire inspector had spotted his tiny crop of marijuana plants on the fire escape.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Richard Bronswijk, who heads the Dutch police art crime unit, says he's seen private detectives create problems when money is the driver.—
Rebecca Rosman,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The untitled half-hour project is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives, which continues the proud tradition of Los Angeles private eyes that began with Philip Marlowe and will end with this show.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Off stage, Benedick and Beatrice spar their way toward the aisle, while our bumbling constables take center stage.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Agencies assisting included Tarrant County constables, police departments from Fort Worth and Forest Hill, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jane Levy is the latest addition to the cast of Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici’s NBC comedy pilot about private investigators.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
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In the novel, Spade and partner Miles Archer are private investigators who accept a case from a woman hoping to find her sister, who ran off with a mysterious man.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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