gumshoe

1 of 2

noun

gum·​shoe ˈgəm-ˌshü How to pronounce gumshoe (audio)

gumshoe

2 of 2

verb

gumshoed; gumshoeing

intransitive verb

: to engage in detective work

Examples of gumshoe in a Sentence

Noun the couple paid a gumshoe to look for their missing son
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In the show, Wednesday star Emma Myers (with a solid British accent!) plays a teenage gumshoe who gets to the bottom of a homicide case years earlier in a small English village in this adaptation of Holly Jackson’s popular YA novel. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Aug. 2024 Obtaining that evidence was her goal when Andrea and her coterie of clumsy gumshoes marched up to the vacation cottage. 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 See all Example Sentences for gumshoe 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gumshoe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gumshoe was in 1897

Dictionary Entries Near gumshoe

Cite this Entry

“Gumshoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gumshoe. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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