Definition of detectornext
as in sensor
a device that detects some physical quantity and responds usually with a transmitted signal a motion detector to thwart burglaries

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detector His company makes a device that works as a smoke detector for airborne viruses, and the university is using pilot versions of it in some of its classrooms. Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026 If atoms can indeed act as sensitive probes of spacetime ripples, future detectors may no longer rely solely on massive infrastructures. Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 21 Mar. 2026 Teachers and students across the US have had to contend with false positives from AI writing detectors. Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 21 Mar. 2026 The new particle was discovered by the LHCb experiment, one of nine detectors stationed around the LHC’s 17-mile-long ring. Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detector
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detector
sensor
Noun
  • Devices that can dynamically adjust electronic behavior could boost performance, efficiency, and functionality across a wide range of technologies, like high-speed processors and smart sensors.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Chun pointed to dramatic declines in the cost of the LiDAR sensor that helps each robot see things that its cameras might miss.
    Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Detector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detector. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.

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