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

While some species are named after scientists or explorers, the researchers named this one Leopardus tilcayo, preserving the moniker used by communities in the tropical cloud forests of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia where the animal lives. — Paola Flores, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Locals who saw the creature in the Bolivian Andes had mistaken it for an ordinary house cat, said biologist and National Geographic explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who was part of the research team that studied them. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

In Vintage Violence, Carter (Cole Sprouse) is an urban explorer who finds a haul of rare denim in a mineshaft. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Of course no one points out that America got its name from an Italian merchant and explorer named Amerigo Vespucci who died in 1512. — Paul Keane, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 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