explorer

American  

[ik-splawr-er] / ɪkˈsplɔr ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that explores.

2. a person who investigates unknown regions.

   the great explorers of the Renaissance.

3. any instrument used in exploring or sounding a wound, a cavity in a tooth, or the like.

4. Also called Explorer Scout.  (initial capital letter) a person between the ages 14 and 20 who is an active participant in the exploring program sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America.

5. (initial capital letter) one of a long series of U.S. scientific satellites: Explorer 1 (1958) was the first U.S. artificial satellite.

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Explorer ¹ British  

/ ɪkˈsplɔːrə /

noun

1. Brit equivalent: Venture Scout.  a member of the senior branch of the Scouts

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Explorer ² British  

/ ɪkˈsplɔːrə /

noun

1. any of the first series of US satellites. Explorer 1 , launched in 1958, confirmed the existence of intense radiation belts around the earth

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Etymology

Origin of explorer

First recorded in 1675–85; explore + -er ¹

Example Sentences

A solo explorer can only fight his circumstances, not his co-pilot.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

"Most people have this image of an intrepid explorer braving an isolated mountain or some other remote place, and stumbling across a creature that no one has ever seen before," Chan said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

Australia-listed Perseus in December offered to buy Predictive Discovery in a deal valuing the explorer at more than US$1.3 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

It was built by the Arctic explorer Rear Admiral Sir John Ross, whose nephew James Clark Ross would later discover the magnetic North Pole.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

“Well, a long time ago, there was a French explorer named Cadillac, and he was the one who discovered Detroit. And that seal was his family seal, from France.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides