projector

American  

[pruh-jek-ter] / prəˈdʒɛk tər /

noun

1. an apparatus for throwing an image on a screen, as a motion-picture projector or magic lantern.

2. a device for projecting a beam of light.

3. a person who forms projects or plans.

4. Archaic. a person who devises underhanded or unsound plans; schemer.

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projector British  

/ prəˈdʒɛktə /

noun

1. Full name: slide projector.  an optical instrument that projects an enlarged image of individual slides onto a screen or wall

2. Full name: film projector.   cine projector.  an optical instrument in which a strip of film is wound past a lens at a fixed speed so that the frames can be viewed as a continuously moving sequence on a screen or wall

3. a device for projecting a light beam

4. a person who devises projects

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Etymology

Origin of projector

First recorded in 1590–1600; project + -or ²

Explanation

A projector is a machine you use for showing movies or images on a screen. In the days before digital cameras, tourists would frequently take pictures with slide film that they could show their friends later with a projector. Today, most theaters use digital equipment to show movies, although a few are still filmed on actual film and require an old-fashioned projector. While these days a teacher might use a large television and a laptop to show the class an educational film, they would once have had to use a projector and a film strip. Projector comes from the verb project, "cast an image," from Latin roots pro-, "forward," and iacere, "to throw."

Example Sentences

The band's first "official" album, Projector, arrived in October 2021, establishing their jagged, basement rock sound.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

Best Thing We’d Actually Buy, Part 2: Samsung Freestyle Projector Portable projectors aren’t anything new, but Samsung’s new Freestyle looks so fun and easy that it’s an immediate standout at CES 2022.

From The Verge • Jan. 7, 2022

Projector screens were set up on both floors, and fans filled in between the tables, forming a pom-pom waving mosh pit as the Storm extended a comfortable lead.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 12, 2018

To get these add-ons, you’ll have to pay $299.99 for the Moto Insta-Share Projector, $79.99 for the JBL SoundBoost, or between $59.99 and $89.99 for a power pack made by Tumi or Kate Spade.

From Time • Jul. 21, 2016

I believe that because there is force, there is a Projector of force; because there is matter, there is spirit.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 7 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Ingersoll, Robert Green