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

The department estimated that 2% of all inspections in 2025 resulted in denaturing, and shared records of three other times when inspectors used bleach. —Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025

New Jersey dietitian and former food safety inspector Tina Marinaccio agreed. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025

But, here are some of the six total violations and two high priority violations that the inspector noted. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 21 Dec. 2025

The inspector noted a buildup of residue on the drink machine nozzles, uncovered tubs of raw meat in the freezer and roaches on the ceiling and wall near the three-compartment sink. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Dec. 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