as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the couple paid a gumshoe to look for their missing son
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Recent Examples of gumshoe
In Klute, Sutherland played opposite Fonda as New York gumshoe John Klute, who is hired to find a chemical company executive who has disappeared.
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Lynette Rice, Deadline, 20 June 2024
Hm! What saves the day is a combination of technological tools of widely varying vintages, good old gumshoe detective work, and Elsbeth’s trademark intuitive leaps.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 9 May 2024
Although much of the establishment has been left wringing its hands about what to do—how to ferret out fake news and those who produce it—there are already tools and systems to help digital investigations and gumshoe reporters connect the dots and discover scams.
—Martin J. O'Malley and Peter L. Levin, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2017
On the surface, Sugar is the story of John Sugar (Farrell), a dapper gumshoe who tracks down missing people on behalf of an elite clientele.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gumshoe 
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 20 June 2024
Hm! What saves the day is a combination of technological tools of widely varying vintages, good old gumshoe detective work, and Elsbeth’s trademark intuitive leaps.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 9 May 2024
Although much of the establishment has been left wringing its hands about what to do—how to ferret out fake news and those who produce it—there are already tools and systems to help digital investigations and gumshoe reporters connect the dots and discover scams.
—Martin J. O'Malley and Peter L. Levin, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2017
On the surface, Sugar is the story of John Sugar (Farrell), a dapper gumshoe who tracks down missing people on behalf of an elite clientele.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gumshoe
Thesaurus Entries Near gumshoe
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoe. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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