noun
shamus
SHAH-muhs
noun
1
Informal American slang for a private detective.
"The old crime novel followed a hard-boiled shamus around 1940s Los Angeles."
How to Use Shamus
Learner’s notes
When to use it
Old-fashioned, mostly seen in detective fiction and film noir rather than everyday speech.
Word Forms
shamuses plural, shami plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “shamus”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The old crime novel followed a hard-boiled _____ around 1940s Los Angeles.
Etymology
American slang, said to come from the Irish name Seamus, reflecting how many early American police officers were Irish immigrants.