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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

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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

The researchers demonstrated that the ousiometer can analyze material from remarkably different sources, including Jane Austen's novels, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, the New York Times, Wikipedia, Twitter, and transcripts of talk radio programs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Interest in a witness to a murder trial reached a fever pitch after Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

"Watching me in this castle must be like watching Sherlock at work."

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 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

Sherlock is barking at me to hurry up.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

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