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 of detector

• 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

These neutrinos would be so energetic that to capture an appreciable number of them, and to contain the ones that were captured, the detector would have to be huge, even by neutrino detector standards. — Doug Cowen, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Halzen had the idea to turn the vast Antarctic ice into such a detector. — Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Even though ChatGPT images, for example, have SynthID, they wouldn’t be flagged in Google’s detector. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

Apple will join the program soon, after which all audio, video, and images generated by Apple Intelligence may also get flagged by the detector. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026

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