metal detector

noun

plural metal detectors

: a device that detects the presence of hidden metal: such as

a

: a security device that scans individuals for dangerous objects (such as weapons)

I boarded the plane armed with several frying thermometers, which set off the metal detector …

—Jeffrey Steingarten

Once inside the theater, the crowd had to pass through an airport-style metal detector as a security precaution.

—Richard Zoglin

b

: a handheld apparatus that uses electrical induction (see induction sense 4c) to detect the presence of metallic objects (such as coins or jewelry) buried a short distance underground

A local man using a metal detector stumbled upon the site last March. He found two copper brooches, or pins, measuring four inches across.

—Time for Kids

Examples of metal detector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to a criminal complaint, Shaw retrieved a firearm from a garbage can outside the hospital and rolled back through its metal detectors in a wheelchair before opening fire. —Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 7 Mar. 2026

There was also the sound of a generator, which would require a permit, a check-in table, a metal detector and a temporary wall with branding, Sterling said. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Visitors can enter through Gate 4, and will have to go through security screenings and metal detectors. —Noel Brennan, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026

Handheld metal detectors often struggle in mineral-rich soils and have difficulty reliably detecting low-metal or predominantly plastic mines. —Sagar Lekhak, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for metal detector

• photodetector
• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector
• deflector
• director
• dissector
• effector
• ejector
• elector