explorer

[ ik-splawr-er ]

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

Explorer

¹

/ ɪkˈsplɔːrə /

noun

1. a member of the senior branch of the Scouts Brit equivalentVenture Scout

Explorer

²

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of explorer¹

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

Example Sentences

Describing her friend as a “great explorer” who loved the outdoors, Splotch said Seneng was likely trying to help the bat out of her classroom when it bit her.

From Los Angeles Times

That Moana was a girl of action, an explorer — strong, capable, brave, family-oriented and empathetic — made her a remarkable role model, and the character has lost none of her moxie in the sequel.

From Los Angeles Times

They were designed to prove to future explorers that Captain Cook had been there first and to introduce native inhabitants to the then British monarch - King George III - whose portrait appears on the other side.

From BBC

Fei says explorers from the UK, France and Germany have come in the last 10 years.

From BBC

Spanish explorers may have brought the first peach pits to North America, but Indigenous communities helped the ubiquitous summer fruit really take root, according to a study led by a researcher at Penn State.

From Science Daily