gumshoe

Examples

• All

• The gumshoe quietly listened for clues in the bustling city streets.

• A gumshoe sometimes finds himself in ugly situations.

  Fiction book (1998)

• - See, Archie, we're looking for a gumshoe named Mike Murphy.

  City Heat (1984)

• The West Coast PIs were always in conflict with authority, while the East Coast gumshoes cooperated with the cops.

  Blog text (27)

• I'm Detective Sanders, and you remember my fellow gumshoe here, Fast Eddie Doyle, well-manicured, well-quaffed, spit-shined, and well-behaved, at times.

  The Passing (2011)

• As a gumshoe, she often worked late into the night, following leads to solve cases.

• The old gumshoe had a knack for uncovering secrets that others missed.

Synonyms

D

detective

vsgumshoe

∞ 2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and finds out what happened

is slangy and stresses doing that work quietly and discreetly

I

investigator

vsgumshoe

756 3.4

A police officer who looks into crimes to find evidence

is informal and emphasizes low profile, secretive activity not official rank

O

operative

vsgumshoe

201 7.3

A person who works as a secret agent or detective

is informal and focuses on quiet civil investigation rather than official missions

D

dick

vsgumshoe

• Archaic

70 9.8

A slang word for a police detective

is also slang but stresses working quietly and without drawing attention

P

private investigator

vsgumshoe

64 3.7

A person hired to find facts about crimes or private matters who is not a police officer

is a casual term emphasizing quiet and secretive work

P

private detective

vsgumshoe

30 3.4

A person who is not a police officer and is paid to investigate crimes

is an informal name that stresses discreet, low profile work

P

police detective

vsgumshoe

27 2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and collects evidence

is informal and stresses quiet, discreet methods rather than official status

P

private eye

vsgumshoe

• Informal

24 4.2

A person hired to find out information for someone, often about crimes

is more informal and stresses low profile, quiet investigation

U

undercover agent

vsgumshoe

18 4.1

A person who works secretly for the police to gather information while hiding who they are

is informal and highlights low profile work rather than covert identity use

P

private dick

vsgumshoe

• Archaic

4 8.8

A person hired to find facts or solve crimes for paying clients

is informal and highlights quiet, discreet work

H

house detective

vsgumshoe

• Archaic

1 6.5

A person hired by a hotel or store to watch for theft

is informal and highlights solitary, quiet investigation rather than place of work

I

inquiry agent

vsgumshoe

6.5

A private detective hired to find information for people or businesses

is informal and focuses on silent, discreet methods rather than employment

S

sleuthhound

vsgumshoe

• Archaic

9.9

A person who carefully follows clues to solve mysteries

is similar but focuses more on quiet discretion than persistence

H

hawkshaw

vsgumshoe

• Archaic

9.9

A person who watches carefully to find out what happened

is more about being an informal, low profile worker than cleverness

P

plain clothes detective

vsgumshoe

4.1

A police officer who wears ordinary clothes while working to avoid attention

is an informal term that stresses secretive, low profile work rather than clothing

P

plainclothes

vsgumshoe

4.4

A police officer who wears ordinary clothes to avoid being recognized

is informal and focuses on quiet, discreet action rather than dress choice

How Discreet

gumshoe

• Archaic

5 8.4

private detective

30 3.4

sleuth

14 5.6

investigator

68 3.6

police officer

560 1.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology