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 inspector hit French toast batter (53 degrees) and liquid egg (52 degrees) with Stop Sales for temperature abuse. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025

Health inspectors cited the halal Mediterranean restaurant for keeping cooking utensils in unsafe locations and having unapproved equipment. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Yoo will play the role of a police inspector who witnesses the incident. —Sara Merican, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025

The Transportation Department said that to get this funding reinstated, California must adopt regulations to enforce the English rules and ensure that state inspectors are testing truck drivers’ English skills during roadside inspections and pulling anyone that fails out of service. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 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