noun
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a person who inspects, esp an official who examines for compliance with regulations, standards, etc
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a police officer ranking below a superintendent or chief inspector and above a sergeant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inspectorshipnoun
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preinspectornoun
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subinspectornoun
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subinspectorshipnoun
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inspectoraladjective
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inspectorialadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inspector
1595–1605; < Latin, equivalent to inspec-, variant stem of inspicere ( see inspect) + -tor -tor
Explanation
An inspector is someone who looks into, observes, and examines things — it's also a word for a detective. The government employs many inspectors — an inspector has to check out the kitchen of a restaurant to see if they're following the rules for cleanliness. Hospitals need to let inspectors check things out, to make sure conditions are safe. Many types of business have inspectors — especially if there's a health concern. An inspector observes things carefully — an inspector checks things out.
Vocabulary lists containing inspector
"The Fun They Had"
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: spec
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The inspector general found that explanation wasn’t always clear and that the person approving travel often operated under the assumption that an executive had requested it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Olivia Carroll, temporary chief inspector at Sussex Police, said there was a "large number of reports" of retail crime in the county - including "organised criminality" by groups.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The inspector general's report did not disclose exactly how many of the weapons remain.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Ten days after filing his anonymous complaint, he submitted a letter to the inspector general’s office, along with a USB drive with the 122 recordings, which he’d made over a span of about six months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The inspector, who was sitting at the other end of the cot, broke in as if he could read her thoughts.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Key information was withheld from inspectors, but the regulator was criticised for not showing enough curiosity to look beyond what they were being told.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
In June housing minister Matthew Pennycook directed inspectors to halt the report's publication to consider Historic England's suggestion and to arrange further hearings to scrutinise the impacts on the Tower of London.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The two inspectors “noted the particular odor emanating from the dumping of putrescent food waste,” according to the notice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
"The companies know how to work around the dust inspectors," said Gary Hairston, a former miner and the president of the National Black Lung Association.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
It must have been about this time that a Humber stopped outside the house and two police inspectors and two constables were shown in.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
