Definition of sensor
1 : a device that responds to a physical stimulus (such as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control)
2 : sense organ
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Examples of sensor in a Sentence
Image sensors are used in digital cameras.
Infrared sensors can track an object's movement.
Recent Examples of sensor from the Web
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Apple has also considered including sensors that measure a room’s acoustics and automatically adjust audio levels during use, one of the people said.
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So Ruiz went out and purchased a humidifier – a simple solution, but one that could not have been reached without the sensor.
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Without the attachment, the phone has an 8 megapixel camera on the front and a 13 megapixel sensor on the rear, according to Essential's website.
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The bike's sensors collect data like revolutions per minute, speed, and distance, which is transmitted via the Internet to the company.
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Sensors within the blocks track the pressure the athlete’s body applies to the block.
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Of those, about 4,500 locomotives are made by GE, including about 3,500 machines that have the sensor technology needed to send data to the Global Performance Optimization Center.
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Luminar Technologies, a lidar company that recently came out of stealth mode, is focusing on improving the performance of sensors by extending the effective range of lidar past 200 meters.
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Inside a conference room at Google's San Francisco office, there's a screen in front of him displaying raw output data from a tiny sensor just below his hand.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sensor'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Sensors are used today almost everywhere. Radar guns bounce microwaves off moving cars. A burglar alarm may use a photosensor to detect when a beam of light has been broken, or may use ultrasonic sound waves that bounce off moving objects. Still other sensors may detect pressure (barometers) or chemicals (Breathalyzers and smoke detectors). Stud finders, used by carpenters to locate wooden studs under a wall, may employ magnets or radar. Wired gloves, which relay information about the position of the fingers, are used in virtual-reality environments. A cheap car alarm may be nothing but a shock sensor, in which a strong vibration will cause two metal surfaces to come together.
Origin and Etymology of sensor
Latin sentire to perceive + English 1-or — more at sense
First Known Use: circa 1928
SENSOR Defined for English Language Learners
sensor
playDefinition of sensor for English Language Learners
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: a device that detects or senses heat, light, sound, motion, etc., and then reacts to it in a particular way
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of sensor
: a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control); also : sense organ
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See words that rhyme with sensor Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sensor Spanish Central: Translation of sensor Nglish: Translation of sensor for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sensor for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sensor
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