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
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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
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Recent Examples of shamus
Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard was one in a long line of LA shamuses tripped up by wealth and beauty, from Marlowe and Gittes to Rawlins and Bosch.
—
Wired, 1 Nov. 2019
When the franchise was rejuvenated in 2000 with Samuel L. Jackson starring as the nephew of the famed shamus, Roundtree appeared as his uncle.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Wired, 1 Nov. 2019
When the franchise was rejuvenated in 2000 with Samuel L. Jackson starring as the nephew of the famed shamus, Roundtree appeared as his uncle.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamus
Noun
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Beijing has been quick to denounce Maduro’s capture, condemning Washington for behaving like the world’s policeman.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
20 Dec. 2025
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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Sheldon Williams was a city paramedic in the 1990s and also served as a police detective for 14 years and had been teaching recently at Pitt's emergency medicine program as well as consulting for the Department of Homeland Security and with FEMA.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Would a racist cop murder him later that afternoon in a traffic stop?—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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During the course of deliberately ramming the cop car, the teen’s vehicle was rendered inoperable.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Applegate said investigators later found Facebook Messenger data showing the suspects discussing the plan.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
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Later, sources told CNN the Justice Department stopped investigating the agent and federal authorities refused to share information with local investigators.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Taking on the city of Minneapolis in the George Floyd case was challenging, but Romanucci acknowledges this case – suing the United States government for the conduct of an immigration officer – is harder.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
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The officer grabs Pretti’s hand to bring it behind his back, and deploys the pepper spray canister again and then pushes Pretti away.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Texas law requires constables to become licensed peace officers with arresting authority within nine months of taking office.—
Tracey McManus,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
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Ciarametaro was Gloucester’s harbormaster from 2016 to 2024, and asked the shellfish constable to do his assignments between February and October of 2020 while enrolled at Endicott College.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shamus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamus. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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