inspector

noun

in·​spec·​tor in-ˈspek-tər 

1

: a person employed to inspect something

2

a

: a police officer who is in charge of usually several precincts and ranks below a superintendent or deputy superintendent

b

: a person appointed to oversee a polling place

inspectorship

in-ˈspek-tər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of inspector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fuel is marked with a small amount of red dye, so that inspectors can distinguish it from regular diesel. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Michelin says all the inspectors travel anonymously and independently to identify hotels without bias. — Tim Chan, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

The next day inspectors targeted areas of concern, but no bedbug activity was found. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Bayona also described enforcement hurdles that Miami code compliance inspectors must overcome, such as being denied entry into condos by front-desk attendants. — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing inspector

• inspector general

Rhymes for inspector

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

Kids Definition

inspector

noun

in·​spec·​tor in-ˈspek-tər 

1

: a person who makes inspections

meat inspector

2

: a police officer ranking just below a superintendent or deputy superintendent

inspectorship

-ˌship 

noun

Legal Definition

inspector

noun

in·​spec·​tor

1

: a person employed or authorized to inspect something

2

: a police officer in charge of a number of precincts and ranking below a superintendent or deputy superintendent