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shamuses

noun

plural of shamus, slang
1
as in policemen
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 detectives
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamuses
  1. policemen
  2. detectives
  3. officers
  4. investigators
  5. cops
  6. private detectives
  7. constables
  8. private investigators
Noun
  • There was a group of them, policemen, and then there was a priest with them.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The head-on crash that killed two policemen and five joyriders in Middlesbrough in August, and its aftermath, is the latest.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of policemen
Noun
  • In January, detectives seized several items during a search of Oak Park Station, including a vehicle, a motorcycle, and some electronic devices.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel were gathering evidence and searching for witnesses Friday afternoon.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • At least seven armed gunmen also attempted to enter the police compound and exchanged fire with officers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • New York State has agreed to pay a $24 million settlement to the family of Robert Brooks, who was beaten to death by Department of Corrections officers while in custody at an upstate prison, state officials said.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of officers
Noun
  • Now federal investigators say criminals turned that everyday habit into a way to steal bank logins and drain accounts.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Police said the driver involved remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • Both cops and the wounded woman were taken to a local hospital in stable condition and all three have since been released.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 12 Sep. 2026
  • As the chasing cops weave around commuters and a school bus, dash cam video shows Trooper Major pulling up behind the truck and ramming it in the far-right breakdown lane.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of cops
Noun
  • Meanwhile, private detectives probed Hadley’s vulnerabilities as a witness.
    — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • The trio took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles as part of a PaleyFest event commemorating five decades of Charlie's Angels, the groundbreaking ABC series that followed a group of female private detectives.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of private detectives
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 constables
Noun
  • At the news conference Monday, Khalil also accused the university of surveilling pro-Palestinian students and hiring private investigators to monitor him.
    — Sudhin Thanawala, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • In an interview with a neighbor, the private investigators learned that there was a cargo van outside the house at the time.
    — Jeremy Greenberg, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of private investigators
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.

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shamus
shamuses
shanghai
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Cite this Entry

“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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