noun
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a person who inspects, esp an official who examines for compliance with regulations, standards, etc
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a police officer ranking below a superintendent or chief inspector and above a sergeant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inspectorshipnoun
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preinspectornoun
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subinspectornoun
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subinspectorshipnoun
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inspectoraladjective
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inspectorialadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inspector
1595–1605; < Latin, equivalent to inspec-, variant stem of inspicere ( see inspect) + -tor -tor
Explanation
An inspector is someone who looks into, observes, and examines things — it's also a word for a detective. The government employs many inspectors — an inspector has to check out the kitchen of a restaurant to see if they're following the rules for cleanliness. Hospitals need to let inspectors check things out, to make sure conditions are safe. Many types of business have inspectors — especially if there's a health concern. An inspector observes things carefully — an inspector checks things out.
Vocabulary lists containing inspector
"The Fun They Had"
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: spec
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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:
That was echoed by the Scottish Police Federation, which represents officers up to the rank of chief inspector.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The inspector general’s office was created in 2022 to oversee the authority as spending ballooned past its original budget.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Ten days after filing his anonymous complaint, he submitted a letter to the inspector general’s office, along with a USB drive with the 122 recordings, which he’d made over a span of about six months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Pacey’s group is calling for an investigation by the EPA’s inspector general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Anyway the inspector said those walls are remarkable.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
Government bee inspectors then joined the search, using GPS radio trackers and AI-assisted cameras to narrow down the location.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to serve as Donald Trump's presidential jet experienced a takeoff delay Wednesday as inspectors checked one of its inflatable slides used for emergency evacuations.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
New homes are inspected several times during construction by either local council building inspectors or a registered building control approver, to make sure they meet legal, national building regulations.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Perrin and 11 other winemakers in the Pessac-Léognan appellation had to receive special permission to water their vines from France’s winemaking authority, which sent inspectors to ensure the plants were sufficiently distressed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The place looked pretty good, and the inspectors never came.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
