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
  • Last fans saw, she was picked up by two New York Police Department officers who escorted her off a bus and told her detectives at the police station had questions for her about Famous' death.
    Julia Moore, People.com, 9 May 2025
  • Resurrection, a sci-fi detective movie from Chinese director Bi Gan (Long Day’s Journey Into Night), is a late addition to this year’s competition.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • Similarly, in October 2023, Orange County investigators used the technology to identity Michael Ray Schlicht of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, whose body had been found in 1974 near in unincorporated Laguna Hills, now the city of Aliso Viejo, California.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 May 2025
  • With a fingerprint match in hand, Santa Clara County investigators and San Jose police traveled to Ohio earlier this year to collect a DNA sample from Sims, with assistance from Ashtabula County authorities.
    Bethany Brown, People.com, 12 May 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 20 May. 2025.

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