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Synonyms

smoke detector

American  

noun

smoke detectors plural
  1. an electronic fire alarm that is activated by the presence of smoke.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

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

Charmon and Akeem Isom, parents of six, told KABC-TV Channel 7 news they were unaware their four-bedroom home had no smoke detector, and they had no warning when flames from their tree began spreading.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 29, 2023

In the first she flew up to the ceiling and began puffing at the smoke detector mounted above his door.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

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