Synonyms of shamus

shamus

noun

ˈshä-məs 

slang

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

• policeman
• cop
• officer
• constable
• sheriff
• lawman
• copper
• detective
• bobby
• police officer
• gendarme
• fuzz
• flatfoot
• investigator
• bull
• inspector
• police
• constabulary
• sleuth
• patrolman
• trooper
• sergeant
• policewoman
• gumshoe
• dick
• marshal
• lieutenant
• peace officer
• operative
• sherlock
• man
• police force
• plainclothesman
• sleuthhound
• captain
• hawkshaw
• private detective
• private eye
• private investigator
• heat

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• civilian

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

• detective
• investigator
• gumshoe
• sleuth
• dick
• operative
• private detective
• private eye
• private investigator
• sherlock
• sleuthhound
• hawkshaw
• tracer
• tracker
• tail
• Federal
• narc
• fed
• G-man
• shadow
• plainclothesman

Example Sentences

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

With Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright back at the creative helm (and The Hollywood Reporter columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the writing staff), the season picks up with Veronica (Bell) still working as a shamus in her SoCal hometown of Neptune. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2019