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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The 16-year-old killer accused of fatally stabbing a young man in the heart of Dyker Beach Park in Brooklyn made an impromptu confession to an off-duty cop just 45 minutes later, prosecutors said Monday.
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Applying a three-part process, cops worked with Google to narrow down the list of suspects and eventually arrested Okello Chatrie, who had opted in to share his location with Google every few minutes.
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 5 Jul. 2026.
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