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
Obtaining that evidence was her goal when Andrea and her coterie of clumsy gumshoes marched up to the vacation cottage.
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Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 28 July 2024
In Chinatown and Shampoo, gumshoe J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) and Beverly Hills hairdresser George Roundy (Warren Beatty) end up alone.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In Klute, Sutherland played opposite Fonda as New York gumshoe John Klute, who is hired to find a chemical company executive who has disappeared.
—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
See all Example Sentences for gumshoe 
Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 28 July 2024
In Chinatown and Shampoo, gumshoe J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) and Beverly Hills hairdresser George Roundy (Warren Beatty) end up alone.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In Klute, Sutherland played opposite Fonda as New York gumshoe John Klute, who is hired to find a chemical company executive who has disappeared.
—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
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 21 Dec. 2024.
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