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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gumshoe
The gumshoe’s exploits, punctuated with suspense, dark comedy and a motley cast unique to the demimonde of the Mexican capital, have been made into films and a Netflix series and translated into English and other languages.
—
Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Lansbury became a household name thanks to her portrayal of an unusual gumshoe, often in perilous situations but always polite and clutching a sensible handbag.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
After 25 years, a family will be reunited with their missing relative thanks to a USA Today article and gumshoe police work.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
Netflix has ordered a second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, with Wednesday star Emma Myers returning as a teenage gumshoe who gets to the bottom of murder cases in a small English village.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Lansbury became a household name thanks to her portrayal of an unusual gumshoe, often in perilous situations but always polite and clutching a sensible handbag.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
After 25 years, a family will be reunited with their missing relative thanks to a USA Today article and gumshoe police work.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
Netflix has ordered a second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, with Wednesday star Emma Myers returning as a teenage gumshoe who gets to the bottom of murder cases in a small English village.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gumshoe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gumshoe
Noun
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Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives are searching for a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a man Sunday night outside a pub in Fair Oaks.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2025
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The woman showed detectives her call history and a text thread with Stumph, confirming her statement, court records said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Eliott Simpson, senior aviation accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane departed from Teterboro, New Jersey, at about 11:15 p.m. on May 21 and flew to Wichita, Kansas.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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However, investigators are still working to determine what sparked the violence.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gumshoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gumshoe. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
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