gumshoe

American  

[guhm-shoo] / ˈgʌmˌʃu /

noun

1. Slang. a detective.

2. a shoe made of gum elastic or India rubber; rubber overshoe.

3. sneaker.

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verb (used without object)

gumshoed, gumshoeing

1. Slang.

   1. to work as a detective.

   2. to go softly, as if wearing rubber shoes; move or act snoopily or stealthily.

gumshoe British  

/ ˈɡʌmˌʃuː /

noun

1. a waterproof overshoe

2. a rubber-soled shoe

3. slang a detective or one who moves about stealthily

4. slang a stealthy action or movement

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verb

1. slang (intr) to act stealthily

Etymology

Origin of gumshoe

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; gum ¹ + shoe

Explanation

When you wear gumshoes, you're pulling on waterproof galoshes over your regular footwear. If you are a gumshoe, on the other hand, you're a private detective, investigating a case. The "detective" meaning of this word comes from the "galoshes" definition. In fact, during the late 19th century, gumshoes or gums were any type of rubber-soled shoes. Around the turn of the 20th century, to gumshoe meant "to sneak around," and by 1906, gumshoe became a common nickname for plainclothes detectives (or "private eyes"), famous for moving stealthily in their quiet rubber-soled shoes.

Example Sentences

Just don't tell Oklahoma singer-songwriter Samantha Crain, who's about to release her seventh album, Gumshoe.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2025

Born in the city in 1941 and educated at Cambridge, Frears worked in theatre and at the BBC before making his feature film debut with Gumshoe in 1971.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2023

In a sad irony, he was awarded the Gumshoe lifetime achievement award posthumously.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2020

He made his first film, Gumshoe, starring Albert Finney, in 1971.

From The Guardian • Aug. 14, 2010

"We'd better send Gumshoe Gus up, first," Sylvie suggested.

From The Cosmic Computer by Piper, H. Beam

Related Words

• detective
• sleuth