inspector

noun

in·​spec·​tor in-ˈspek-tər 

1

: a person employed to inspect something

2

a

: a police officer who is in charge of usually several precincts and ranks below a superintendent or deputy superintendent

b

: a person appointed to oversee a polling place

inspectorship

in-ˈspek-tər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of inspector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From grease on the ceiling to an unmarked spray bottle, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City area restaurants in recent weeks. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2025

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from May 29 to June 5. —Ian Wheeler, Oc Register, 7 June 2025

Staff and outside safety inspectors were investigating the equipment failure, the district said. —Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025

Though there were still problems with some cleaning supplies, the inspector's second pass earned the club a B rating (86 out of 100). —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 6 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing inspector

• inspector general

Rhymes for inspector

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

Kids Definition

inspector

noun

in·​spec·​tor in-ˈspek-tər 

1

: a person who makes inspections

meat inspector

2

: a police officer ranking just below a superintendent or deputy superintendent

inspectorship

-ˌship 

noun

Legal Definition

inspector

noun

in·​spec·​tor

1

: a person employed or authorized to inspect something

2

: a police officer in charge of a number of precincts and ranking below a superintendent or deputy superintendent