shamus
noun
sha·mus ˈshä-məs 
ˈshā-
1
slang : police officer
2
slang : private investigator
Synonyms
- bobby [British]
- bull [slang]
- constable [chiefly British]
- cop
- copper
- flatfoot [slang]
- fuzz
- gendarme
- lawman
- officer
- police officer
- policeman
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a hard-bitten L.A. shamus who, when he's not battling crooks, is locking horns with his superiors he's a shamus who mostly finds evidence to use in divorce cases
Recent Examples on the Web 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 With Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright back at the creative helm (and The Hollywood Reporter columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the writing staff), the season picks up with Veronica (Bell) still working as a shamus in her SoCal hometown of Neptune. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2019
Wired, 1 Nov. 2019 With Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright back at the creative helm (and The Hollywood Reporter columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the writing staff), the season picks up with Veronica (Bell) still working as a shamus in her SoCal hometown of Neptune. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2019 Word History
Etymology
perhaps from Yiddish shames shammes; from a jocular comparison of the duties of a sexton and those of a store detective
First Known Use
1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1
shamus
noun
1
as in cop
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
- cop
- policeman
- officer
- constable
- sheriff
- detective
- lawman
- bobby
- flatfoot
- copper
- fuzz
- gendarme
- gumshoe
- police officer
- investigator
- sleuth
- inspector
- constabulary
- bull
- police
- patrolman
- sherlock
- sergeant
- policewoman
- dick
- trooper
- lieutenant
- marshal
- hawkshaw
- plainclothesman
- operative
- man
- peace officer
- sleuthhound
- marshall
- captain
- police force
- private eye
- private detective
- private investigator
- heat
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- civilian
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- detective
- investigator
- gumshoe
- sleuth
- dick
- sherlock
- operative
- private eye
- private detective
- private investigator
- hawkshaw
- sleuthhound
- tracer
- tracker
- tail
- nark
- fed
- narc
- plainclothesman
- G-man
- shadow
- Federal