Holmes, Sherlock

Cultural  

1. A fictional English detective, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes's extraordinary powers of memory, observation, and deduction enable him to solve mysteries and identify criminals in cases that leave all other detectives baffled. His companion is Dr. Watson, who records his exploits. Holmes is often mistakenly quoted as saying, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”

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Figuratively, any shrewd detective can be called Sherlock Holmes, or simply Sherlock.

Example Sentences

He visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London ahead of shooting.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Sherlock Holmes would have called it the case of the dog that didn’t bark.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

It's a missing painting story worthy of Sherlock Holmes.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

That aspect of copyright law engendered a lengthy dispute waged by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle against creative artists wishing to put Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson into new works.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

That is because he wasn’t like Sherlock Holmes and he believed in the supernatural.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

Related Words

• agent
• informer
• police officer
• private eye
• private investigator
• prosecutor
• reporter
• sleuth
• spy