✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər How to pronounce detector (audio)
Synonyms of detectornext
: 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This next-generation detector will directly measure the full tritium beta-decay spectrum. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025 The eight-piece system includes a base station, a keypad for arming and disarming your system, a motion detector, a panic button, and four entry sensors that can be placed on doors and windows. PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025 In an interview with La Parisien, Dauvergne revealed that the thieves entered the property by cutting through the border fence, then used a crowbar to break open the door and smash the detectors. MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025 However, the gravitational wave detectors were only able to narrow down the source of this signal to a region of sky equivalent to around 6,000 times the width of the moon, which makes looking for an accompanying electromagnetic signal akin to searching for a needle in a cosmic haystack. Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detector

Word History

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of detector was in 1541

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detector.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detector. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

detector

noun
de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər How to pronounce detector (audio)
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 How to pronounce detector (audio)
: one that detects
especially : a device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic waves or of radioactivity

More from Merriam-Webster on detector

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!