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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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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Late on December 22, for example, mere hours after the shooting, detectives visited Barry and James, both of them still in the ER with conditions listed as critical, to record their official statements.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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For five years, detectives looked for Townsend.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The investigators and May expressed concern that DeCristo had not addressed her actions.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Parents of students with disabilities have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state over their schools’ failure to educate their children, and most of the time, state investigators have agreed.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoes. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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