gumshoe
1 of 2noun
gum·shoe ˈgəm-ˌshü 
: detective
gumshoe
2 of 2verb
gumshoed; gumshoeing
intransitive verb
: to engage in detective work
Synonyms
Noun
- detective
- dick
- hawkshaw
- investigator
- operative
- private detective
- private eye
- private investigator
- shamus [slang]
- sherlock
- sleuth
- sleuthhound
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun the couple paid a gumshoe to look for their missing son
Recent Examples on the Web
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2022 The producer misplaces some of his music, and the player becomes a gumshoe on the case hunting for the lost tunes. Elias Leight, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2021 Yes, that’s right, the emergence of self-driving cars has all the makings of being a kind of modern-day gumshoe that can be a devout crime fighter. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 May 2021 LaKeith Stanfield, an actor not particularly known for playing down-the-middle characters, was Craig’s straight-from-central-casting gumshoe. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 14 May 2021 The artwork introduces Cooper's new persona, a fedora-wearing gumshoe named Maurice Escargot. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2021 The Mystery of the Carnival Caper (1998) enabled me to live out my girl-gumshoe dreams. Drew Dakessian, Wired, 2 Mar. 2021 The 70-year-old gumshoe reportedly cracked his head on the pavement outside his Haight-Ashbury home when muggers yanked a new camera from around his neck Thursday. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2021 Ultimately, the judge decided to keep the gumshoe locked up pending trial. Mario Ariza, sun-sentinel.com, 8 Dec. 2020 See More
Noun
In the series, Prioress does a lot more gumshoe investigating. Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2022 The producer misplaces some of his music, and the player becomes a gumshoe on the case hunting for the lost tunes. Elias Leight, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2021 Yes, that’s right, the emergence of self-driving cars has all the makings of being a kind of modern-day gumshoe that can be a devout crime fighter. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 May 2021 LaKeith Stanfield, an actor not particularly known for playing down-the-middle characters, was Craig’s straight-from-central-casting gumshoe. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 14 May 2021 The artwork introduces Cooper's new persona, a fedora-wearing gumshoe named Maurice Escargot. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2021 The Mystery of the Carnival Caper (1998) enabled me to live out my girl-gumshoe dreams. Drew Dakessian, Wired, 2 Mar. 2021 The 70-year-old gumshoe reportedly cracked his head on the pavement outside his Haight-Ashbury home when muggers yanked a new camera from around his neck Thursday. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2021 Ultimately, the judge decided to keep the gumshoe locked up pending trial. Mario Ariza, sun-sentinel.com, 8 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1913, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1897, in the meaning defined above
gumshoes
noun
as in detectives
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- detectives
- investigators
- sleuths
- dicks
- operatives
- sherlocks
- private detectives
- private eyes
- private investigators
- hawkshaws
- shadows
- tracers
- trackers
- sleuthhounds
- plainclothesmen
- feds
- narks
- narcs
- G-men
- shamuses
- tails
- Federals
