shamus

English

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shamus^¹

/ˈʃɑːməs/
/ˈʃeɪməs/

Sounds like Séamus (of -ā-/-eɪ-/-eI- pronunciation) · Rhymes with -eɪməs

Where it comes from

Said to be from the Irish name Séamus, on account of many American police officers being of Irish descent.

noun shamuses · shami

US, slang A private detective; originally, a policeman or police detective. “That's what you're here for. Didn't your aunt tell you? She wants you to follow Wilbert Cream and Phyllis about everywhere and see that he doesn't get a chance of proposing.” “You mean that I'm to be a sort of private eye or shamus, tailing them up? I don't like it,” I said dubiously.

Shamus^²

proper noun

alternative Alternative spelling of Seamus

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MLA

"shamus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shamus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

shamus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shamus

Chicago

"shamus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shamus.

BibTeX

@misc{shamus_2026,
  title = {shamus},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shamus},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}