1
as in policeman
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 detective
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shamus
Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard was one in a long line of LA shamuses tripped up by wealth and beauty, from Marlowe and Gittes to Rawlins and Bosch.
—
Wired, 1 Nov. 2019
When the franchise was rejuvenated in 2000 with Samuel L. Jackson starring as the nephew of the famed shamus, Roundtree appeared as his uncle.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamus
Noun
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Beijing has been quick to denounce Maduro’s capture, condemning Washington for behaving like the world’s policeman.—
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And Ahmed al-Ahmed, who came to Australia from Syria in 2006, a former policeman who now owns a fruit stand at Bondi Beach, tackled one of the gunmen and wrenched the rifle from him, even as he was wounded himself.—
Noun
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Nampa detectives eventually learned about Salat’s case in Ada County, where he originally was charged with three counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16, court records show.—
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Robert Marshall, lead homicide detective, added.—
Noun
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For at least the third time in just over a year, Humphrey has rejected most serious charges against rule-breaking cops.—
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It was formed after the murder of George Floyd by ex-cop Derek Chauvin, who was filmed in Minneapolis kneeling on Floyd's neck in May 2020.—
Noun
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Minnesota officials have claimed federal authorities blocked state investigators from accessing evidence in the case and asserted that the state lacks jurisdiction to independently investigate the killing, according to the AP.—
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Agents told investigators that one of their colleagues opened fire Thursday after the driver put the truck in reverse and repeatedly slammed into an unoccupied car the agents had rented, smashing its headlights and knocking off its front bumper.—
Noun
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And on Tuesday, Joan Bracci, the county’s chief financial officer, stressed that DROP will create new costs for the county.—
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Sutherland, 59, was arrested shortly after midnight when officers responded to the scene near Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood, according to LAPD officer Kevin Terzes.—
Noun
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Two men have been arrested in connection with Sunday’s shooting outside a club in North Austin that left an off-duty constable dead and police with questions about the area’s safety, officials said in a Monday press conference.—
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Two officers were wounded in the attack, including 22-year-old probationary constable Jack Hibbert who sustained bullet wounds to the head and shoulder in the attack, and has lost the sight in one of his eyes.—
Cite this Entry
“Shamus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamus. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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