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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gumshoe
The platform that made a gumshoe as flimsy as Benoit Blanc the center of his own franchise owes her all that and more.
—
Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Lansbury became a household name thanks to her portrayal of an unusual gumshoe, often in perilous situations but always polite and clutching a sensible handbag.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
After 25 years, a family will be reunited with their missing relative thanks to a USA Today article and gumshoe police work.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Lansbury became a household name thanks to her portrayal of an unusual gumshoe, often in perilous situations but always polite and clutching a sensible handbag.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
After 25 years, a family will be reunited with their missing relative thanks to a USA Today article and gumshoe police work.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gumshoe
Noun
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And Natasha Lyonne, who plays amateur detective Charlie Cale, wears almost as many hats: actress, director, writer and producer.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Jamie McBride is an LAPD detective with 35 years of experience on the force.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2025
Noun
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But the claim started to unravel as investigators talked to Morales Reyes, who doesn’t speak English fluently, and obtained a handwriting sample from him that was different from the handwriting in the letters, according to court documents.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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Sacramento police investigators are still working to determine how the 36-year-old mother of four became fatally pinned between her sport utility vehicle and another car in a shopping center’s parking lot on Rush River Drive in Sacramento’s Pocket neighborhood Tuesday evening.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoe. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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