smoke detector
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of smoke detector
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
The Orion spacecraft that transported the crew during their voyage ran into several glitches, including a smoke detector going off near the end of the trip.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Cooking a burger in the oven feels odd, and pan-searing on high heat risks setting off the smoke detector.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2025
He said the smoke detector may not have sounded because the door of the bedroom was closed.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024
Last week, he woke to the blaring sound of a smoke detector.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2023
When she had awoken to the shrill scream of the smoke detector, she ran from room to room looking for him, for Lexie, for Moody.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
