sherlock
noun
sher·lock ˈshər-ˌläk 
-lək
often capitalized
: detective
Synonyms
- detective
- dick
- gumshoe
- hawkshaw
- investigator
- operative
- private detective
- private eye
- private investigator
- shamus [slang]
- sleuth
- sleuthhound
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
one of literature's most eccentric sherlocks, Nero Wolfe manages to solve mysteries without so much as leaving the confines of his own home
Word History
Etymology
Sherlock Holmes, detective in stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
First Known Use
1903, in the meaning defined above
sherlocks
noun
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
Relevance
- detectives
- investigators
- private eyes
- private detectives
- hawkshaws
- private investigators
- dicks
- sleuthhounds
- operatives
- shamuses
- gumshoes
- sleuths
- shadows
- tracers
- trackers
- feds
- plainclothesmen
- narks
- narcs
- tails
- G-men
- Federals
