detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər 

: one that detects: such as

a

: a device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic waves or of radioactivity

b

: a rectifier of high-frequency current used especially for extracting the intelligence from a radio signal

Synonyms of detector

• sensor

Examples of detector in a Sentence

using metal detectors to improve safety at airports

a motion detector to thwart burglaries

Recent Examples on the Web

Cove sent me a full array of add-ons, including indoor and outdoor cameras, a doorbell camera, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide (CO) detector, a panic button, a glass-break sensor, a water-leak sensor, a siren, and a remote fob. — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026

Machine learning could eventually go a step further by recognizing patterns that indicate a detector anomaly before an actual failure occurs. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026

The group placed light detectors called photodiodes on the ground and on board a high-altitude balloon, which collected data on the light patterns before and after totality. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

In a laboratory 2 kilometers underground, a crane lowers Matt Depatie, a detector technologist, through a hatch into a white-walled cavern filled with about 7,000 tons of ultrapure water that glows as blue as wiper fluid in the light. — James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing detector

• lie detector
• metal detector
• radar detector
• smoke detector

Rhymes for detector

• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector
• deflector
• director
• dissector
• effector
• ejector
• elector
• erector

Kids Definition

detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər 

1

: one that detects or warns

a smoke detector

2

: a device in a radio receiver for changing the high-frequency current of radio waves into current that can vibrate a loudspeaker to reproduce the original sound

Medical Definition

detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər 

: one that detects

especially : a device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic waves or of radioactivity