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
Relevance
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
Noun
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But as concerned as the reactions may be, politicians and policemen alike seem to knowingly (and preemptively) pass the blame around.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026 -
At such protests, white policemen often famously saved their worst acts of brutality for the few white demonstrators.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Square-jawed detectives were tripping over corpses at midtown construction sites, blind vigilantes were redecorating Hell’s Kitchen with body parts and even poor Lester the doorman ended up dead in an Upper West Side courtyard fountain.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The office said several hundred detectives and agents are on the case.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The trial is part of a broader push to hold more people accountable for a school shooting, including the shooter’s parents and responding law enforcement officers.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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But until May, they were understood to not allow law enforcement officers to enter a suspect's home.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, investigators hope DNA from a glove recovered about two miles from Nancy’s residence will lead them closer to a suspect.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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The warrant was based on a lead that investigators received, the department said, but no arrests were made.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But cops said Shin was the actual attacker.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But here’s the thing about cops, local, state or federal.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The recipients spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private detectives and expert analysis.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Agencies assisting included Tarrant County constables, police departments from Fort Worth and Forest Hill, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Harris County leaders worry a new law could leave them on the hook for higher costs by allowing constables to negotiate patrol contracts with neighborhood associations without approval.—
John Lomax V,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Once upon a time, there was a TV show about three little girls who went to the police academy and then became private investigators.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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