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
  • Over the weekend, dozens of plain-clothes policemen entered the protest site and dragged Wangchuk into an ambulance.
    — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026
  • My grand plan was to be one of the policemen in one of the episodes.
    — Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 21 June 2026
Definition of policemen
Noun
  • This investigation remains active as detectives continue efforts to determine whether the juvenile or others may be connected to additional incidents.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026
  • The gun violence detectives are investigating the shooting, police said.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 July 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • On Saturday night, Fort Worth police shot and killed another suspect who pulled a gun on officers following a short car chase that ended near the I-35W service road on the city’s far south side, Garcia said.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026
  • Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn will move to propose measures related to waiving Boston Police Department residency requirements and allowing retired officers to take shifts as the department faces ongoing staffing challenges.
    — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 27 July 2026
Definition of officers
Noun
  • The courtroom then heard recordings of Colt’s interview with investigators less than an hour after the shooting.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
  • Authorities in California are searching for two 9-year-old children who investigators say were abducted by their father this week, warning there is concern for their well-being.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of investigators
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 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
  • Harry and the six other high-profile claimants failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking and corrupt payments.
    — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Depending on the circumstances, this may include private investigators, attorneys, cybersecurity professionals, exchanges, regulators or law enforcement agencies.
    — Jon Stojan June 23, Miami Herald, 23 June 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 27 Jul. 2026.

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