sherlock

noun

sher·​lock ˈshər-ˌläk 

-lək

often capitalized

: detective

Synonyms

• detective
• dick
• gumshoe
• hawkshaw
• investigator
• operative
• private detective
• private eye
• private investigator
• shamus [slang]
• sleuth
• sleuthhound

Examples of sherlock in a Sentence

one of literature's most eccentric sherlocks, Nero Wolfe manages to solve mysteries without so much as leaving the confines of his own home

Word History

Etymology

Sherlock Holmes, detective in stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above