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
shamuses
noun
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
- policemen
- officers
- cops
- constables
- police officers
- sheriffs
- lawmen
- coppers
- gendarmes
- bulls
- sherlocks
- inspectors
- police
- investigators
- bobbies
- fuzzes
- peace officers
- troopers
- detectives
- police forces
- constabularies
- sleuthhounds
- flatfeet
- hawkshaws
- private detectives
- private investigators
- patrolmen
- policewomen
- private eyes
- sergeants
- dicks
- marshals
- sleuths
- plainclothesmen
- lieutenants
- operatives
- men
- gumshoes
- marshalls
- captains
- heat
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- civilians
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
- detectives
- investigators
- sherlocks
- private detectives
- private investigators
- private eyes
- sleuthhounds
- hawkshaws
- dicks
- operatives
- sleuths
- gumshoes
- shadows
- tracers
- trackers
- feds
- plainclothesmen
- narks
- narcs
- tails
- G-men
- Federals