gumshoe

[guhm-shoo]

noun

1. Slang.,  a detective.

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

3. sneaker.

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

/ 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

verb

1. slang,  (intr) to act stealthily

Word History and Origins

Origin of gumshoe¹

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

Example Sentences

This year, she’s vying for lead actress in a comedy for her performance as an eccentric gumshoe on the Netflix whodunit “The Residence.”

From Los Angeles Times

The play, which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 2022, brings audiences viscerally into the gumshoe work of archivists and researchers who authenticate, clarify and preserve artifacts of history.

From Los Angeles Times

After 25 years, a family will be reunited with their missing relative thanks to a USA Today article and gumshoe police work.

From Los Angeles Times

Gorriti is clear on who is behind it: A cabal of “kleptocrats” in Peru’s political and business elites who are in prosecutorial peril due in large part to his crowning gumshoe achievements.

From Seattle Times

He was famous for his cynical, hard-drinking gumshoe, Philip Marlowe, and lines like: “It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• detective 
• sleuth