monitor

[ mon-i-ter ]

/ ˈmɒn ɪ tər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR monitor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(especially formerly) a student appointed to assist in the conduct of a class or school, as to help take attendance or keep order.

a person appointed to supervise students, applicants, etc., taking an examination, chiefly to prevent cheating; proctor.

a person who admonishes, especially with reference to conduct.

something that serves to remind or give warning.

a device or arrangement for observing, detecting, or recording the operation of a machine or system, especially an automatic control system.

an instrument for detecting dangerous gases, radiation, etc.

Radio and Television.

a receiving apparatus used in a control room, especially to provide a steady check of the quality of an audio or video transmission.
a similar apparatus placed in various parts of a studio so that an audience can watch a recorded portion of a show, the performer can see the various segments of a program, etc.
any such receiving apparatus used in a closed-circuit system, as in an operating room.

Computers.

the screen component of a computer, especially a free-standing screen.
a control program.Compare operating system.
a group of systems used to measure the performance of a computer system.

Nautical.

a former U.S. steam-propelled, armored warship of very low freeboard, having one or more turrets and used for coastal defense.
(initial capital letter, italics) the first of such warships, used against the Confederate ironclad warship Merrimac at Hampton Roads, Va., in 1862.

a raised construction straddling the ridge of a roof and having windows or louvers for lighting or ventilating a building, as a factory or warehouse.

an articulated mounting for a nozzle, usually mechanically operated, which permits a stream of water to be played in any desired direction, as in firefighting or hydraulic mining.

Also called giant. (in hydraulic mining) a nozzle for dislodging and breaking up placer deposits with a jet of water.

any of various large lizards of the family Varanidae, of Africa, southern Asia, the East Indies, and Australia, fabled to give warning of the presence of crocodiles: several species are endangered.

verb (used with object)

Radio and Television.

to listen to (transmitted signals) on a receiving set in order to check the quality of the transmission.
to view or listen to (television or radio transmissions) in order to check the quality of the video or audio.
to listen to (a radio conversation or channel); keep tuned to.

to observe, record, or detect (an operation or condition) with instruments that have no effect upon the operation or condition.

to oversee, supervise, or regulate: to monitor the administering of a test.

to watch closely for purposes of control, surveillance, etc.; keep track of; check continually: to monitor one's eating habits.

verb (used without object)

to serve as a monitor, detector, supervisor, etc.

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to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.

to cause to be empty or unoccupied.

to assent tacitly; agree; consent.

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Origin of monitor

1540–50; <Latin: prompter, adviser, equivalent to moni-, variant stem of monēre to remind, advise, warn + -tor-tor

OTHER WORDS FROM monitor

mon·i·tor·ship, nounself-mon·i·tor·ing, adjectiveun·mon·i·tored, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for monitor

Monitoring Chinese social-media platforms has paid off for the Chinese government.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Throughout Christmas eve and day, the world is monitoring with bated breath.
Sweden’s Burning Christmas Goat|Nina Strochlic|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He takes great pleasure in demonstrating the monitoring procedure.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This season is all about monitoring posture, scrutinizing sun exposure, even exploring the health of a pet.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Police officers were on the scene, monitoring the demonstrators.
A New Intifada? Israel’s Arab Citizen Uprising Spreads|Creede Newton|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Monitoring of translocated animals through radio-tracking to determine the results.
An Experimental Translocation of the Eastern Timber Wolf|Thomas F. Weise
The next year'll be your last one at the monitoring, won't it?
The Foolish Lovers|St. John G. Ervine
A dense web of monitoring instruments was deployed in the region during the late 1980s.
Earthquakes|Kaye M. Shedlock
Then the connection was relayed to one of the secondary control officers at the monitoring boards.
Danger in Deep Space|Carey Rockwell
And upstairs this time more than Bill Hayes, sector chief, were monitoring the message.
Eight Keys to Eden|Mark Irvin Clifton

British Dictionary definitions for monitor

monitor

/ (ˈmɒnɪtə) /

noun

a person or piece of equipment that warns, checks, controls, or keeps a continuous record of something

education

a senior pupil with various supervisory duties
a pupil assisting a teacher in classroom organization, etc

a television screen used to display certain kinds of information in a television studio, airport, etc

the unit in a desk computer that contains the screen

a loudspeaker used in a recording studio control room to determine quality or balance
a loudspeaker used on stage to enable musicians to hear themselves

a device for controlling the direction of a water jet in fire fighting

any large predatory lizard of the genus Varanus and family Varanidae, inhabiting warm regions of Africa, Asia, and AustraliaSee also Komodo dragon

Also called: giant mining a nozzle for directing a high-pressure jet of water at the material to be excavated

(formerly) a small heavily armoured shallow-draught warship used for coastal assault

verb (tr)

to act as a monitor of

to observe or record (the activity or performance) of (an engine or other device)

to check (the technical quality of) (a radio or television broadcast)

Derived forms of monitor

monitorial (ˌmɒnɪˈtɔːrɪəl), adjectivemonitorially, adverbmonitorship, nounmonitress, fem n

Word Origin for monitor

C16: from Latin, from monēre to advise

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

Medical definitions for monitor

monitor

[ mŏn′ĭ-tər ]

n.

A usually electronic device used to record, regulate, or control a process or system.

Scientific definitions for monitor

monitor

[ mŏn′ĭ-tər ]

A device that accepts video signals from a computer and displays information on a screen. Monitors generally employ cathode-ray tubes or flat-panel displays to project the image. See Note at pixel.

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monitor