detector

[ dih-tek-ter ]
See synonyms for detector on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person or thing that detects.

  2. a device for detecting smoke, fire, or some other hazardous condition.

  1. a device for detecting the presence of metal, contraband, or other items that might be hidden or concealed.

  2. Telecommunications.

    • a device for detecting electric oscillations or waves.

    • a device, as a crystal detector or a vacuum tube, that rectifies the alternating current in a radio receiver.

Origin of detector

1
1535–45; <Late Latin dētēctor revealer, equivalent to Latin dēteg(ere) to uncover, reveal (see detect) + -tor-tor

Words Nearby detector

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use detector in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detector

detector

/ (dɪˈtɛktə) /


noun
  1. a person or thing that detects

  2. any mechanical sensing device

  1. electronics a device used in the detection of radio signals

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012