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

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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
  • On the other side of Via Solari, a handful of policemen gathered around dozens of demonstrators, who ardently—but peacefully—chanted for entirely different reasons.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 28 Sep. 2026
  • One of Sanchez’s associates shot at the policemen, who returned fire.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of policemen
Noun
  • Homicide detectives are working to determine what led up to the killing.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Police said gang-unit detectives are investigating the shooting.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • All officers on the scenes of vehicle stops must wear and activate their body cameras, under the guidance.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • With early voting already underway, a question worrying some voters is what role — if any — immigration enforcement officers might have at polling places through Election Day.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of officers
Noun
  • Crime scene investigators looked for witnesses and surveillance video and collected evidence.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
  • However, a series of law enforcement investigators have testified the crime scene was not consistent with that story.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • The suspect has six prior arrests in New York, with charges including criminal contempt, assault and criminal mischief, cops said.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The cops arrived and compared notes with Lojo and her colleagues.
    — Anand Giridharadas, New Yorker, 26 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
  • During the test, two private investigators were hired to conduct surveillance on Hogan.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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
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Cite this Entry

“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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