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
  • People began rioting in Los Angeles’ predominantly Black Watts neighborhood after a crowd watched White policemen forcefully subdue a Black man.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 28 July 2026
  • Over the weekend, dozens of plain-clothes policemen entered the protest site and dragged Wangchuk into an ambulance.
    — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026
Definition of policemen
Noun
  • Cynthia also thanked the KCSO detectives for finally solving the case.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Hicks said detectives are working to determine Williams' motives, and said the suspect's family was cooperating fully with law enforcement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • Footage released by Russian state media showed heavily armed law-enforcement officers, several ambulances and other emergency vehicles at the site.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The young woman was also receiving medical treatment when officers entered the room with body cameras.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of officers
Noun
  • Palmer said investigators were interviewing witnesses to the shooting.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Crash investigators found open and closed alcoholic beverages in the vehicle at the scene of the crash.
    — Brian Maass, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • The cops then obtained a search warrant for Klayme’s residence and took phones and laptops from his bedroom.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 27 July 2026
  • Before finding their bodies, cops attempted to establish a conversation with Keegan Thomas, 33, who had barricaded himself inside the two-story residence.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 26 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 4 Aug. 2026.

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