scanner

noun

scan·​ner ˈska-nər 

: one that scans: such as

a

: a device for sensing recorded data (as in a bar code)

a supermarket scanner

b

: a radio receiver that sequentially scans a range of frequencies for a signal

c

: a device that scans an image (such as a photograph) or document (such as a page of text) especially for use or storage on a computer

d

: a medical device for scanning a living body to collect diagnostic information see also ct scanner

Examples of scanner in a Sentence

a price scanner at a supermarket

Recent Examples on the Web

Lawrence said the retailer’s investment in delivering new technology to stores, such as the rollout of RFID scanners and new handheld devices, has provided benefits such as improvements in inventory accuracy and in-stocks. —Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025

Other machines such as document scanners, printers, 3D printers, label printers or digital picture frames. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025

In a hangar outside Zurich, a veteran of low Earth orbit lay under a kind of medical scanner no spacecraft was ever designed for. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025

With Sellers at the scanner, there’s noticeable progress. —Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing scanner

• CAT scanner
• CT scanner

Rhymes for scanner

• banner
• branner
• canner
• fanner
• kanner
• manner
• manor
• planner
• spanner
• tanner

Kids Definition

scanner

noun

scan·​ner ˈskan-ər 

: one that scans: as

a

: a device that senses recorded information

b

: a radio receiver that scans a range of frequencies for a signal

c

: a device that scans an image or document especially for use or storage on a computer

d

: a device for scanning a living body to collect medical information

Medical Definition

scanner

noun

scan·​ner ˈskan-ər 

: a device (as a CT scanner) for making scans of a living body