as in detectives
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 gumshoes
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
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gumshoes
Noun
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Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide detectives are investigating the crash, said Detective Samantha Choon, an agency spokeswoman.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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Jones told detectives his phone was turned off after football practice.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The man killed was identified by investigators as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
22 Feb. 2026
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Initially, the search operation centred on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; but investigators later established (using satellite data, and a process of elimination) that MH370 turned sharply again and flew on for hours, to the southern Indian Ocean.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoes. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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