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• sherlock
  sherlock

  noun

  a private detective.
• Sherlock
  Sherlock

  noun

  a male given name: from an Old English word meaning “fair-haired.”

sherlock

¹ American  

[shur-lok] / ˈʃɜr lɒk /

Or Sherlock

noun

Informal.

1. a private detective.

2. a person remarkably adept at solving mysteries, especially by using insight and logical deduction.

   Who's the sherlock who can tell me where my pen is?

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Sherlock ² American  

[shur-lok] / ˈʃɜr lɒk /

noun

1. a male given name: from an Old English word meaning “fair-haired.”

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Etymology

Origin of sherlock

After Sherlock Holmes, fictitious detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sherlock Sherlock

Topics: , sherlock, BBC, Greece, Memory Techniques, , This article originally appeared on .

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2014

But if the plainclothes nose around, are they going to sherlock the parish priest and the town bughunter?

From Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man by Marie Conway Oemler

“She told me she had completely cut off her mom,” says Sherlock, 29, a certified public accountant in Lakeville, Minn. “And that she had wasted all of her 30s on a man.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Sherlock Xia of law firm Yenlex said that China's move had sent a "clear signal" that attempting to shed Chinese identity through overseas relocation was no longer viable.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

She has an eye for detail; later in the series, she will Sherlock Holmes a character based on his clothing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

The third film takes Enola, the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes, to Malta, where her future with Tewkesbury is interrupted by a dangerous new case involving Sherlock's disappearance.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

"You found some awesome clues. And I think we found the person who knocked down Sherlock!"

From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene