detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər 

: one that detects: such as

a

: a device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic waves or of radioactivity

b

: a rectifier of high-frequency current used especially for extracting the intelligence from a radio signal

Synonyms

• sensor

Examples of detector in a Sentence

using metal detectors to improve safety at airports

a motion detector to thwart burglaries

Recent Examples on the Web

This compact detector scans for hidden bugs, GPS trackers, or listening devices. —Aly Walansky, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2025

This futuristic-looking pod on legs has a rubbery bottom for litter, a weight detector that sets off the cleaning cycle a few minutes after your cat has done its business, and a slide-out tray in the bottom. —Molly Higgins, Wired News, 9 May 2025

The addition of a silicon tracker layer on top of the detector would increase the amount of data from the $2 billion physics experiment over the next five years by a factor of three. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025

The detector registered heartbeats that shouldn’t have been present and incorrectly concluded that the videos depicted real humans. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing detector

• lie detector
• metal detector
• radar detector
• smoke detector

Rhymes for detector

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

Kids Definition

detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər 

1

: one that detects or warns

a smoke detector

2

: a device in a radio receiver for changing the high-frequency current of radio waves into current that can vibrate a loudspeaker to reproduce the original sound

Medical Definition

detector

noun

de·​tec·​tor di-ˈtek-tər 

: one that detects

especially : a device for detecting the presence of electromagnetic waves or of radioactivity