Adlock

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UK/ˈæd.lɒk/US/ˈæd.lɑk/

proper noun

The ship of characters Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler from the television series Sherlock.

Scrabble 13
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. slanglifestyleThe ship of characters Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler from the television series Sherlock.

    As you've probably gathered, I do not ship Johnlock. I can roll with pretty much any Sherlock ship, except that one and Adlock.

    2018, Daneel, quoted in Katie Wilson, "Red Pillers, Sad Puppies, and Gamergaters: The State of Male Privilege in Internet Fan Communities", in A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies (ed. Paul Booth), page 434
    2 more examples

    Adlock fans cite the episode "A Scandal in Belgravia" as evidence of Sherlock Holmes' enduring love for "the Woman," Irene Adler.

    2016, Jennifer Phillips, Katharina Freund, “Engaging with 'Herself': Fandom and Authorship in the Age of Tumblr”, in Valerie Estelle Frankel, editor, Adoring Outlander: Essays on Fandom, Genre and the Female Audience, page 36

    The ships most likely to be attacked are those which feature a male/female pairing such as Sherlolly, Adlock (Irene Adler/Sherlock), and Warstan (John Watson/Mary Morstan), […]

    2019, E. J. Nielsen, “The Gay Elephant Meta In The Room: Sherlock And The Johnlock Conspiracy”, in Joseph Brennan, editor, Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans Through Homoerotic Possibilities, pages 87–88

Origin

Blend of Adler + Sherlock.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Ladock
Cite this entry
APA

Adlock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Adlock

MLA

“Adlock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Adlock. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Adlock,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Adlock.

Source: Adlock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.