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.—
Gerrad Hall,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 June 2026 -
Disgruntled, the policemen stormed out of the house.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The investigation into the incident led detectives to determine that Johnson was the suspect.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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The case went cold until 2022, when detectives linked Heuermann to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.—
Philip Marcelo,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Police shot a suspect who allegedly hit multiple officers with a vehicle in the Bronx on Sunday, the New York City Police Department said.—
Jenna DeAngelis,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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Family members told officers that a man had been underwater for some time, police said.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Noun
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In the final seconds before impact, investigators found Wilburn was attempting to avoid the collision but was unable to stop before the red light.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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The commissioners plan to develop a five-year plan to phase in state funding, along with enforceable standards like caseload limits and access to defense investigators.—
Anat Rubin,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Noun
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Ten thousand cops were deployed to the financial district; access for paradegoers was limited to twenty-three checkpoints.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
20 June 2026
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The victim’s name was not immediately released as cops track down relatives.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, private detectives probed Hadley’s vulnerabilities as a witness.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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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.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Troopers and Beacon Falls constables responded to the home and detained Drozdowski, state police said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 May 2026
-
Off stage, Benedick and Beatrice spar their way toward the aisle, while our bumbling constables take center stage.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Citizens, private investigators, family and media have over the years requested crime and autopsy reports related to the case from Weatherford police — only to be met with persistent denials, according to records obtained by the Star-Telegram.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
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Meanwhile, the victims were still being intimidated by Epstein’s private investigators.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shamuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamuses. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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