as in detective
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons one of literature's most eccentric sherlocks, Nero Wolfe manages to solve mysteries without so much as leaving the confines of his own home

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sherlock
Noun
  • Two days later, the case was assigned to a detective in the domestic violence unit, who identified Anderson as matching the description.
    Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The woman later described to detectives seeing blood in the hall near the kitchen entryway.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • One of its investigators had spent weeks undercover working and traveling with ShowMe Tigers, watching the animals being forced to perform tricks, said Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, in a statement Sunday.
    CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
  • One woman told investigators her family paid Gonzales nearly $34,500 to help her parents obtain legal residence, disciplinary records show.
    Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Sherlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sherlock. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

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