as in detectives
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sherlocks
Noun
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Late on December 22, for example, mere hours after the shooting, detectives visited Barry and James, both of them still in the ER with conditions listed as critical, to record their official statements.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026 -
For five years, detectives looked for Townsend.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The investigators and May expressed concern that DeCristo had not addressed her actions.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Parents of students with disabilities have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state over their schools’ failure to educate their children, and most of the time, state investigators have agreed.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The recipients spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on private detectives and expert analysis.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can't be trusted.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Sherlocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sherlocks. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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