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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My grand plan was to be one of the policemen in one of the episodes.
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Disgruntled, the policemen stormed out of the house.
Noun
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Based on witness statements, detectives identified the suspect as 35-year-old Salvador Villalaz, the Sheriff’s Office said.
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The police car, a silver Ford Taurus used by the investigation division, contained two Oakland police homicide detectives who were able to continue their shift after the crash, authorities said.
Noun
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In one case, a 20-year-old man was caught in a sting operation after anti-corruption officers turned up posing as buyers.
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At the scene, officers found spent shell casings and damage to a vehicle believed to have been struck by gunfire.
Noun
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Othram, based in The Woodlands, Texas, specializes in advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy, a method that can help investigators identify suspects or unknown victims when traditional law enforcement databases do not produce a match.
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Police located and arrested the three suspects on June 30, though the investigation remains active as investigators search for any outstanding suspects.
Noun
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The victims were taken by medics to area hospitals, with four men, ages 73, 65, 58 and 49, listed as critical but stable and the others, whose ages range from 36 to 65, treated for minor injuries, cops said.
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Applying a three-part process, cops worked with Google to narrow down the list of suspects and eventually arrested Okello Chatrie, who had opted in to share his location with Google every few minutes.
Noun
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Meanwhile, private detectives probed Hadley’s vulnerabilities as a witness.
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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.
Noun
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Troopers and Beacon Falls constables responded to the home and detained Drozdowski, state police said.
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Off stage, Benedick and Beatrice spar their way toward the aisle, while our bumbling constables take center stage.
Noun
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Depending on the circumstances, this may include private investigators, attorneys, cybersecurity professionals, exchanges, regulators or law enforcement agencies.
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Ever since Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, fans have turned into part-time wedding planners, part-time private investigators and full-time internet detectives.
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Cite this Entry
“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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