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

State inspectors had never once visited the Esparto facility before the deadly blast; that responsibility fell only to local authorities, until now. —Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

Last Friday, an 18-year-old student carried out a knife attack at a school in northern Chile, killing a 59-year-old school inspector and stabbing four other people, including another staff member and three students. —ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026

My friend Thai, whose parents were part of the Weather Underground leadership, remembers his father, Jeff Jones, coming home one day to find their family’s Hoboken apartment surrounded by cops—a fire inspector had spotted his tiny crop of marijuana plants on the fire escape. —Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026

Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from March 19 to March 26. —Ian Wheeler, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 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