locked-room mystery

noun

A type of crime (typically a murder) in detective fiction that is committed in circumstances under which it appears impossible for the perpetrator to have entered the crime scene, committed the crime, and left undetected.

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Meanings

nounlocked-room mystery (plural locked-room mysteries)

plural locked-room mysteries

  1. A type of crime (typically a murder) in detective fiction that is committed in circumstances under which it appears impossible for the perpetrator to have entered the crime scene, committed the crime, and left undetected.
Cite this entry
APA

locked-room mystery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/locked-room%20mystery

MLA

“locked-room mystery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/locked-room%20mystery. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “locked-room mystery,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/locked-room%20mystery.

Source: locked-room mystery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.