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 closed three eateries including a Rancho Cordova warehouse after discovering 68 rodent droppings throughout the facility. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado may 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

The inspector saw a live roach and a dead roach in the facility, some cooked meat that wasn’t being cooled properly and reported that the hot water heater wasn’t working. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026

State inspectors last week found lots of fly issues at South Florida restaurants, with the critters seen buzzing around kitchens, bars, storage and restroom areas. —South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026

But even scores of inspectors are no match for the nearly 2,000 addiction treatment facilities in California, which might only be inspected every other year. —Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 28 May 2026

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