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

The penny papers combined traditional political and business news with sensational stories and scandals featuring the nation’s entertainers, explorers, and artists.

From Literature

With renewed determination, at least on Duane’s part, the two explorers followed the river upstream in the hope of finding a less splashy way across it.

From Literature

It always made me feel bad when he did this because I never intended to be anything but a hunter or an explorer; and I couldn’t see where arithmetic had anything to do with that.

From Literature

The ambitious gothic Netflix film featured an Arctic explorer ship frozen on the ice, and Frankenstein's horror lab on top of a Victorian water tower.

From BBC

The local school, located on a street named after a famed Russian explorer, has three dozen children learning the Russian curriculum.

From The Wall Street Journal