explorer

noun

ex·​plor·​er ik-ˈsplȯr-ər 

1

: one that explores

especially : a person who travels in search of geographical or scientific information

2

Explorer : a member of a coed scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America for young people ages 14 to 20 focusing on career awareness

Examples of explorer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Iterations of these early weapons would go on to help launch the world's first satellites and space explorers; the United States launched its first astronauts into orbit with NASA's Project Mercury using the same Atlas rocket family as those in the nation's first ICBM tests. —Brett Tingley, Space.com, 20 May 2026

Critics on the Croisette are starting to resemble that classic comic-strip panel in which an explorer crawls desperately across the sand toward an oasis that’s only a mirage. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026

The lintel in question was first documented by American explorers Dana and Ginger Lamb, who traveled in the tropical forests of northern Guatemala and southern Mexico in the 1950s. —Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026

To move the needle on talent retention, stop trying to be the fixer and start being the explorer. —Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for explorer

• restorer
• borer
• corer
• horror
• maurer
• scorer
• storer

Kids Definition

explorer

noun

ex·​plor·​er ik-ˈsplōr-ər 

-ˈsplȯr-

1

: one that explores

a vehicle called the lunar explorer

especially : a person who travels in search of new geographical or scientific information

2

capitalized : a member of the scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America for young people 14 to 20 years old

Medical Definition

explorer

noun

ex·​plor·​er ik-ˈsplōr-ər, -ˈsplȯr- 

: an instrument for exploring cavities especially in teeth : probe sense 1