sensor

American  

[sen-sawr, -ser] / ˈsɛn sɔr, -sər /

noun

1. a mechanical device sensitive to light, temperature, radiation level, or the like, that transmits a signal to a measuring or control instrument.

2. a sense organ.

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sensor British  

/ ˈsɛnsə /

noun

1. anything, such as a photoelectric cell, that receives a signal or stimulus and responds to it

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Etymology

Origin of sensor

First recorded in 1925–30; sense + -or ²

Explanation

An electronic device that measures changes in a physical quality (like light or temperature) is a sensor. Your kitchen smoke alarm has a sensor that detects the smoky evidence of your badly burned toast. Sensors, these tiny gadgets that detect a physical property, note any changes in it, and convey a message about it electronically, are found just about everywhere. They detect the presence of carbon monoxide in your house, tell you what the temperature is, and help drivers back up safely, alerting them of any obstacles. Smartphones themselves contain many sensors — detecting vibration, tilt, magnetic fields, and more. Sensor comes from a Latin root meaning "perceive or feel."

Example Sentences

Clark adds it has a 360-degree camera, a radar system for long range navigation, and an electronic radio sensor to pick up communications for intelligence gathering.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

"Humans have four million touch sensors. If we were to build robots equipped with as many sensors, four years of global sensor production would barely be enough to equip 12,500 robots," he added.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

"You're able to do two things that are normally not compatible with one another: Use entanglement to build an exquisitely sensitive sensor but also have robustness to arbitrarily large amounts of noise," Clerk said.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026

In the case of AF447, the French court found that Airbus had long known that a critical airspeed sensor on the A330 jet was prone to freezing, and had underestimated the risk that it posed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The light on the sensor blinked red, indicating that it was operational.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti