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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

For obvious reasons, sending a human out into a minefield with a metal detector is not the safest way of doing things. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2023

The undetectable firearms are designed to evade security screenings by a metal detector or X-ray machine and can be manufactured on a three-dimensional printer without metal components. —Ben Botkin, oregonlive, 20 Mar. 2023

Dutch treasure hunter Lorenzo Ruijter had been unsuccessfully scanning the ground for nearly three hours when his metal detector finally went off. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023

Wand metal detector placed in use at the door from 10 p.m. until close for all entering customers. —John Sharp | , al, 10 Mar. 2023

This can involve crawling through a snowy minefield, holding a metal detector in one hand and a flashlight in the other. —Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023

Walk through the metal detector carrying your pet or guiding it by leash. —Andrea Sachs, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Feb. 2023

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above