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

But Earle, the 90-year-old oceanographer and explorer, says that cultural change is important, too. —Justin Worland, Time, 5 Nov. 2025

This Halloween, step into stories where science meets terror, where contagions kill, landscapes devour explorers, and technology crushes the human soul. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Unearth the explorer inside you with stunning, all-inclusive offerings from Atlas Voyages. —Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025

As Captain John Smith, the rebellious explorer who winds up falling for Q’orianka Kilcher’s Pocahontas in Terrence Malick’s divisive romantic epic, Farrell is the very picture of soulful, conflicted charm. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025

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