explorer

[ ik-splawr-er, -splohr- ]

/ ɪkˈsplɔr ər, -ˈsploʊr- /

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See synonyms for: explorer / explorers on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or thing that explores.

a person who investigates unknown regions: the great explorers of the Renaissance.

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

(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.

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

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Origin of explorer

First recorded in 1675–85; explore + -er¹

Words nearby explorer

exploiting, exploration, explorationist, exploratory, explore, explorer, explorer tent, explosible, explosimeter, explosion, explosion shot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use explorer in a sentence

All they discovered were water bottles from earlier explorers.
A CIA spyplane crashed outside Area 51 a half-century ago. This explorer found it.|Sarah Scoles|January 5, 2021|Popular-Science
Instead, the land claimed the lives of four of the explorers.
The Woman Who Survived Two Years Alone in the Arctic|Fiona Zublin|December 9, 2020|Ozy
For the second year in a row, China has landed an ambitious robotic explorer on the moon.
A Chinese robot is bringing home moon rocks, and US bots will soon follow|Tim Fernholz|December 3, 2020|Quartz
That’s not only key to sustaining human life, but the hydrogen and oxygen in water could also be used as rocket fuel, making the moon a potential gas station in space that could help explorers reach farther into the solar system.
A dollar can’t buy you a cup of coffee but that’s what NASA intends to pay for some moon rocks|Christian Davenport|December 3, 2020|Washington Post

No matter how many G’s the network has, no Martian explorer will ever enjoy a real time call with Earth.
The moon will soon have cell service|Charlie Wood|October 22, 2020|Popular-Science
The first two videos are teasers featuring two favorite cartoon characters for young girls, Dora the Explorer and Tinkerbell.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, dozens of pyramids are missing their peaks thanks to an overeager, gold-seeking explorer.
Egypt Ain’t The Only Pyramid Show In Town|Nina Strochlic|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Actor and explorer Michael Palin, visiting in 2001, described one elderly bookkeeper showing off his priceless wares.
The Lost Libraries of the Sahara‬|Nina Strochlic|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The proposed Titan Mare Explorer (TiME), for example, would place a boat on either Ligeia Mare or Kraken Mare.
A Cloud Forms Over Saturn’s Mysterious Moon|Matthew R. Francis|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ironically, the first archaeologist to explore the cave had a connection to the most legendary fictional explorer.
The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors|Nina Strochlic|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the brave explorer sailed safely through the dangerous strait now named for him.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
On one side loomed a huge tank, to the brink of which a rickety wooden ladder invited the explorer to ascend.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
Passage over it is often one of the most difficult feats to accomplish which the Alpine explorer has to undertake.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
These fractures often exist in very great numbers, and constitute a formidable barrier in the explorer's way.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Each step, which seems to bring the explorer of nature nearer to his object, only carries him to the threshold of new labyrinths.
Decline of Science in England|Charles Babbage

British Dictionary definitions for explorer (1 of 2)

Explorer¹

/ (ɪkˈsplɔːrə) /

noun

US a member of the senior branch of the ScoutsBrit equivalent: Venture Scout

British Dictionary definitions for explorer (2 of 2)

Explorer²

/ (ɪkˈsplɔːrə) /

noun

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

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

explorer

Origin of explorer

Words nearby explorer

Words related to explorer

How to use explorer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for explorer (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for explorer (2 of 2)