scanner

American  

[skan-er] / ˈskæn ər /

noun

scanners plural

1. a person or thing that scans.

2. Also called optical reader.  Also called optical scanner.  Computers. a device that scans printed, handwritten, barcode, or other visual data and encodes it into digital format.

3. Photography. any device for exposing an image on film, a sensitized plate, etc., by tracing light along a series of many closely spaced parallel lines.

4. (in aerial photography) a device for estimating the ratio of aircraft speed to aircraft altitude.

5. a photoelectric device for scanning a picture to determine automatically the density of the hue or value in each area for transmission by wire or radio or for preparation of color process printing plates.

6. a computer-aided electronic system using photoelectric cells to separate copy, as color illustrations, into its primary colors, correct color copy, and produce a set of color separations ready for proofing or printing.

7. Radio. a radio receiver, used especially by police, firefighters, and the press, that continuously tunes to preselected frequencies, broadcasting any signal that it detects.

8. Medicine/Medical, Biology. a device for examining a body, organ, tissue, or other biologically active material.

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scanner British  

/ ˈskænə /

noun

1. a person or thing that scans

2. a device, usually electronic, used to measure or sample the distribution of some quantity or condition in a particular system, region, or area

3. an aerial or similar device designed to transmit or receive signals, esp radar signals, inside a given solid angle of space, thus allowing a particular region to be scanned

4. any of various devices used in medical diagnosis to obtain an image of an internal organ or part See CAT scanner nuclear magnetic resonance scanner ultrasound scanner

5. informal a television outside broadcast vehicle

6. short for optical scanner

7. printing an electronic device which scans printed material and converts it to digital form

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• scanners
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scanner

First recorded in 1550–60; scan + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scanner scanners

The researchers tested the design by imaging the eye and orbit in volunteers using a 7.0 Tesla MRI scanner.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

Police scanner audio reviewed by multiple outlets describes a “cardiac arrest” and CPR in progress on an “unconscious” person at that address.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

He said the scanner wasn’t in use during the election.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The scanner aims to compete with more cumbersome MRI imaging by utilizing a shallow pool of water and sonic-wave technology to map the human body in roughly 60 seconds.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

I also bought a small canister of mace, then paid for everything by pressing my right palm to a hand scanner.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Yet even with today's advanced scanners, producing clear images of some areas remains difficult.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

Hynix in its exchange filing said funds could be used to purchase highly advanced equipment such as ASML’s extreme ultraviolet scanners, which can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

For instance, six NHS trusts in England declared a critical incident last week after hot weather adversely affected their IT systems, scanners, and cancer and lab equipment.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Midjourney founder David Holz is aiming for a fleet of 50,000 scanners running 1 billion scans a month by 2031, starting with an in-person spa location in San Francisco by the end of 2027.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

Straight ahead curved a sparkling archway that reminded Aru of the body scanners at airports.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi