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Definition of "detector" []

  • One that detects, especially a mechanical, electrical, or chemical device that automatically identifies and records or registers a stimulus, such as an environmental change in pressure or temperature, an electric signal, or radiation from a radioactive material. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "detector" in a sentence
  • "Instead of wave functions we could talk about this; that if a source of a certain kind emits a particle, and a detector is there to receive it, we can give the amplitude that the source will emit and the detector receive."
  • "Repeated studies (such as by the National Academy of Science) has shown that the "lie detector" is no more accurate than dunking "witches" used to be."
  • "If your smoke detector is more than ten years old, replace it; same thing for any carbon monoxide detector more than five years old."