detector

American  

[dih-tek-ter] / dɪˈtɛk tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that detects.

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

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

4. Telecommunications.

   1. a device for detecting electric oscillations or waves.

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

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detector British  

/ dɪˈtɛktə /

noun

1. a person or thing that detects

2. any mechanical sensing device

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

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Etymology

Origin of detector

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

Example Sentences

Passing through the building’s security, one woman set off a metal detector with her hip, another with her knees.

From The Wall Street Journal

All three balls were authenticated by SCP Auctions through notarized affidavits and lie detector tests.

From Los Angeles Times

Manuel Moussallam, Deezer's director of research, says his team was so surprised by how many tracks were flagged up by the detector when it first launched they were "pretty convinced we had an issue".

From BBC

The report reveals a teacher had brought in a domestic CO detector that her father had given her when she explained the previous day's events to him.

From BBC

Yet protons in the "knee" energy range are extremely rare, and satellite detectors have limited coverage, making such observations extraordinarily challenging.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• radar