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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
  • One of Sanchez’s associates shot at the policemen, who returned fire.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • There was a group of them, policemen, and then there was a priest with them.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of policemen
Noun
  • In January, detectives seized several items during a search of Oak Park Station, including a vehicle, a motorcycle, and some electronic devices.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel were gathering evidence and searching for witnesses Friday afternoon.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • Investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened inside the house, and Hartman said officers encountered inconsistencies while interviewing those who were there.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Jolly has called for a new requirement that officers obtain a warrant from a judge before accessing Flock camera footage, while Donalds is pushing for harsher punishments to deter misuse.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of officers
Noun
  • Now federal investigators say criminals turned that everyday habit into a way to steal bank logins and drain accounts.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Police said the driver involved remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of investigators
Noun
  • Third place was Japanese director Sabu’s Arrested Memory, a crime caper about a detective with dementia who unwittingly wanders off with a multimillion-dollar ransom, sending cops and criminals on his trail.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
  • With local cops, plagued by rumors of departmental misdeeds, looking for a peaceful solution and federal authorities contemplating extreme action, the situation escalates.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 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
  • At the news conference Monday, Khalil also accused the university of surveilling pro-Palestinian students and hiring private investigators to monitor him.
    — Sudhin Thanawala, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • In an interview with a neighbor, the private investigators learned that there was a cargo van outside the house at the time.
    — Jeremy Greenberg, ABC News, 17 Aug. 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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