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

Sacramento County health inspectors gave the Sacramento grocery store a yellow placard after milk, flan and eggs measured outside of proper holding temperatures. —Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025

At one facility cited by the OIG, the Nakamoto Group inspection occurred five months after federal inspectors had visited the site. —Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025

The reimposition of sanctions highlights a nuclear deadlock that is likely to hinder Western powers from monitoring Iran's nuclear activities in the future, especially after Tehran has banned inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from accessing sites. —MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from Sept. 18 to Sept. 25. —Ian Wheeler, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 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