Thesaurus results for GUMSHOE

gumshoe

noun

ˈgəm-ˌshü

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gumshoe 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 Murray Hill wants to bring a little fun and camp to a gumshoe series. —

Lynette Rice, Deadline, 19 June 2024 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

Senior Deputy District Attorney Devan Portillo, of the DA Office’s special prosecutions unit, handled the case, with support from a Placer County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to the county’s Opioid Response Team.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
After a lengthy investigation found there was no evidence to suggest that the crash was intentional, detectives determined that Gutierrez likely fell asleep at the wheel.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026