radar detector

noun

plural radar detectors

1

: a device designed to alert the operator of a vehicle when it has been targeted by a radar beam (as from a police officer's radar gun)

After fastening a radar detector to the windshield, he slaloms through traffic at illegal speeds for the seven-mile trip to Chrysler's Styling Dome …

—Alex Taylor III

He chuckled about the radar detector in his big station wagon … saying he never drove faster than 60 anyway.

—Stephan Wilkinson

2

: radar gun

The officer's radar detector recorded the vehicle speed between 55 and 60 mph, with the speed reaching 70 mph at one point on the 55 mph-limit roadway.

—Robin Baumgarn

Examples of radar detector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cincinnati philanthropist and radar detector pioneer Michael Valentine died unexpectedly Monday at his home, according to his obituary. — Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 20 Sep. 2024

In other words, use a radar detector because everyone around them is still driving 85. — Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 22 Aug. 2024

Aftermarket parts like an Alpine stereo linked with amplifiers and a subwoofer live in the trunk, and a Viper radar detector has been added to ward off any unwanted attention. — Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 26 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for radar detector

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