sensor
Americannoun
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a mechanical device sensitive to light, temperature, radiation level, or the like, that transmits a signal to a measuring or control instrument.
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a sense organ.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sensor
Explanation
An electronic device that measures changes in a physical quality (like light or temperature) is a sensor. Your kitchen smoke alarm has a sensor that detects the smoky evidence of your badly burned toast. Sensors, these tiny gadgets that detect a physical property, note any changes in it, and convey a message about it electronically, are found just about everywhere. They detect the presence of carbon monoxide in your house, tell you what the temperature is, and help drivers back up safely, alerting them of any obstacles. Smartphones themselves contain many sensors — detecting vibration, tilt, magnetic fields, and more. Sensor comes from a Latin root meaning "perceive or feel."
Vocabulary lists containing sensor
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Commonly Confused Words, List 6
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Electrical Engineering
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By 2025, “Monopoly Go!” had accrued $6 billion in lifetime in-app purchase revenue, becoming the fastest free mobile game to do so, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
On March 2, for the first time, Claude surpassed ChatGPT in weekly U.S. downloads, according to data from Sensor Tower, a web-data firm.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Around the same time, U.S. app uninstalls for ChatGPT jumped 295%, which Sensor Tower linked to backlash over OpenAI’s deal with the Defense Department.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
According to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, worldwide downloads of Sora reached 5 million in October, a 4,400% spike from 107,000 downloads in September.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
The process took even longer than normal as Filch was triple-checking everybody with his Secrecy Sensor.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
