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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Advertisement Some have described voting out of fear, with security personnel in traditional clothing and sunglasses and armed policemen skulking around polling areas, according to ABC.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026 -
As seen in a video of the moment, the newlyweds and their guests were seated at dining tables during the reception at the Croft Hotel in Darlington, England, when the policemen arrived.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Late on December 22, for example, mere hours after the shooting, detectives visited Barry and James, both of them still in the ER with conditions listed as critical, to record their official statements.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
For five years, detectives looked for Townsend.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The officers and the homeowner were not injured in the incident, police said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Authorities said some of the victims were transported by private vehicle to a local hospital before officers arrived on scene.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The investigators and May expressed concern that DeCristo had not addressed her actions.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Parents of students with disabilities have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state over their schools’ failure to educate their children, and most of the time, state investigators have agreed.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Mercedes went under his truck just a few kilometers short of the turn-off for the village where the cops were heading to sleep it off.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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Yet the Bronx was responsible for more than one-third of homicides and shootings in the city in 2025, cops said.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Co-written and executive produced by Goor and Del Tredici, the half-hour is a workplace comedy set in the world of private detectives.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That law change came more than half a decade after a joint WAVE News and Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting investigation highlighted the lack of training and accountability for the state’s constables, including some who had criminal records of their own.—
Josh Wood,
Louisville Courier Journal,
15 Dec. 2025
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The law required sheriffs and constables to execute those orders — and enslavers paid them for their efforts.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Her family in 2018 also engaged in a legal battle with OPD in order to access records that their private investigators could use in a search.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
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The celebrities allege that the company illegally spied on them by hiring private investigators to hack their phones, bug their cars and access private records.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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