shamus

noun

ˈshä-məs How to pronounce shamus (audio)
Definition of shamusnext
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

Relevance

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamus
  1. policeman
  2. detective
  3. cop
  4. investigator
  5. officer
  6. constable
Noun
  • Set between the 1950s and ’80s, the film tells the story of four male friends whose lives are shattered by the arrival of a policeman and his wife in their small working-class town.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Bernthal played the real-life Baltimore policeman Wayne Jenkins, who led a crew of officers who shook down people for cash and drugs.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 July 2026
Definition of policeman
Noun
  • The case broke open when a Grapevine detective obtained a covert DNA sample from soda bottles in Brown’s trash in Colorado.
    — Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 July 2026
  • However, sheriff’s office detectives are investigating the circumstances of his death.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Definition of detective
Noun
  • Then Nia fell in love, got dumped, had the cops called on her in a confrontation with her boyfriend—and produced her most heart-stopping work to date.
    — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
  • Investigators pulled bodycam footage from other cops who had been in the room.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026
Definition of cop
Noun
  • According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, investigators reviewed social media accounts, a website and a billboard in Latin America that advertised maternity packages at South Texas hospitals to foreign nationals.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 July 2026
  • In June, federal investigators began approaching her and Newsom’s associates and friends in a wide-ranging probe into her taxes.
    — Lia Russell July 17, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of investigator
Noun
  • No video has surfaced depicting the moment of the shooting and none of the officers were wearing body cameras.
    — Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Hopkinson and chief financial officer Simon Capper visited Nyon, Switzerland, on multiple occasions, while the CEO also spoke to governing-body representatives in Budapest before the Champions League final in May.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of officer
Noun
  • The woman was able to flee the scene and located deputy constables.
    — Adam England, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
  • Troopers and Beacon Falls constables responded to the home and detained Drozdowski, state police said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026
Definition of constable

Browse Nearby Words

shams
shamus
shamuses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shamus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamus. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All