Meanings
plural detectors
- A device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon, and that optionally sounds an alarm or triggers a warning.
Smoke detectors are mandatory in public buildings.
1 more example
At 2255, it passed a hot axle box detector at Great Bridgeford. No problem here - the detector detected no abnormal temperatures anywhere in the consist.
2026 March 18, Greg Morse, “1996 crash driving freight reforms”, in RAIL, number 1057, page 50- A galvanometer, usually portable, for indicating the direction of a current.
- A device measuring radiation or electromagnetic waves.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindētēctor
- Englishdetector
Borrowed from Latin dētēctor. Equals detect + -or (agent noun forming suffix).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian дете́ктор
- дете́ктор (detéktor)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Chinese Mandarin 檢測儀 /检测仪
- 檢測儀 /检测仪 (jiǎncèyí)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Czech detektor
- detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Danish detektor
- detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Finnish ilmaisin, tunnistin
- ilmaisindevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
- tunnistindevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
French détecteur
- détecteurdevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
German Detektor
- Detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Greek ανιχνευτής
- ανιχνευτής (anichneftís)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Hebrew גלאי
- גלאי (galai)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Hindi डिटेक्टर
- डिटेक्टर (ḍiṭekṭar)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Indonesian detektor
- detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Irish brathadóir
- brathadóirdevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Malay pengesan
- pengesandevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Māori paerongo, pūoko
- paerongodevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
- pūokodevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Norwegian Bokmål detektor
- detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Polish wykrywacz, detektor
- wykrywaczdevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
- detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Portuguese detetor, detector
- detetordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
- detectordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Romanian detector
- detectordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Russian дете́ктор
- дете́ктор (dɛtɛ́ktor)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Swedish detektor
- detektordevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Tagalog paniktik
- paniktikdevice capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Ukrainian дете́ктор
- дете́ктор (detéktor)device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with detector
Anagrams
Cite this entry
detector. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detector
“detector.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detector. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “detector,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/detector.
Source: detector on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.