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 location’s hot water broke shortly before the inspector arrived, and a plumber was already present during the inspection, the owner told the Star-Telegram. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Jan. 2026

Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local Asian restaurant, indoor soccer business and a market after discovering live German cockroaches, operating without a valid health permit and other food safety violations. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026

According to property records, city inspectors knew the home was at risk of collapsing. —Liz Crawford, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026

Pearson, an ex-NYPD inspector and longtime friend to Adams, who empowered him to exercise significant influence over the city’s law enforcement apparatus, has denied wrongdoing. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 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