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
  • Onlookers and policemen rushed to the balloon’s basket to find the three men lying crumpled on the ground.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • When plans were made for a visit to Japan by President Eisenhower in 1960—it was eventually called off—there weren’t enough policemen to guard his route into Tokyo, so the yakuza were mobilized to help.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of policemen
Noun
  • Tallahassee police detectives have reviewed digital evidence and canvassed the area, police said in a statement Sunday.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The older brother, Marques Smith, said in an interview with detectives that they were dropped off from work at 29th Street and Indiana Avenue minutes before police officers were seen in the area, according to court records.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The other person, who police believe to be a man, fled the scene before officers arrived, Gonzalez said.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of officers
Noun
  • When investigators approached him in 2010 about the investigation into his father’s killing, Douglas Herlihy referred them to his attorney.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Over 70 women came forward to investigators, reporting harrowing accounts of the brothers’ attacks, prosecutors said in their sentencing memo.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • Dozens of armored cops were still standing guard, shields raised, after a night when 500 people were taken into custody in the French capital alone.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • With no police in sight, Sanaa and other shopkeepers who were targeted along the Rue Étienne Marcel watched as small groups of looters used mobile phones to tip each other off to the cops’ whereabouts, handily winning the cat-and-mouse chase.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 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
  • The private investigators recovered one truck with help from the Mexican army.
    — Steve Fisher Special Correspondent Follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • During the test, two private investigators were hired to conduct surveillance on Hogan.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 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
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Cite this Entry

“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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