detector

American  

[dih-tek-ter] / dɪˈtɛk tər /

noun

• detectors
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• detectors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of detector

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

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Explanation

A detector is a machine that responds to particular substances in a consistent way. Everyone who flies on an airplane must pass through a metal detector, which beeps when it senses metal. A "lie detector" works by measuring pulse and eye movements as a person responds to a series of questions. A radioactivity detector looks for high levels of radioactivity in nuclear power plants. Since the invention of detectors, the idea of more fantastical detectors has filled the human imagination. A love detector: why not?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

detector detectors

The upgraded detector also became better at identifying different kinds of particles, giving researchers a clearer picture of the activity produced during collisions.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2026

When the bees in the detector sniff TNT, they stick out their tiny tongues, triggering an alarm and alerting their handlers to the presence of danger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

It’s not been confirmed by the Education Department whether their image is A.I.-generated, but when I ran it through the SightEngine A.I. image detector, it came back as 99 percent likely to be A.I.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

The book was shrouded in suspicion and withdrawn from the shortlist for France's top book prize, the Goncourt, after tests with AI detector Pangram indicated a 100-percent probability it contained computer-generated text.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

In 1965 two American physicists at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, were testing a very sensitive microwave detector.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

He leads an institute behind many scientific feats: It gave birth to JPL 90 years ago, created the earthquake Richter scale and helped build the first detectors to observe cosmic gravitational waves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Traditional passive detectors made from plastic require chemical etching before scientists can study the marks left by incoming particles.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

Together, these capabilities make lithium fluoride detectors a promising tool for studying the complex radiation environment beyond Earth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

The researchers have now described a new method for analyzing the information stored in these crystals, offering insights into both cosmic radiation levels and the performance of the detectors.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

He buys a notebook and draws up plans for cloud chambers, ion detectors, X-ray goggles.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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