detector — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon, and that optionally sounds an alarm or triggers a warning.

   Examples

   Smoke detectors are mandatory in public buildings.

   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.

2. A device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon, and that optionally sounds an alarm or triggers a warning. An indicator showing the depth of the water in a boiler.

3. A device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon, and that optionally sounds an alarm or triggers a warning. A galvanometer, usually portable, for indicating the direction of a current.

4. A device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon, and that optionally sounds an alarm or triggers a warning. A device measuring radiation or electromagnetic waves.

Noun

1. any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner

   Synonyms

   sensorsensing element

   Broader terms

   device

2. rectifier that extracts modulation from a radio carrier wave

   Synonyms

   demodulator

   Broader terms

   rectifier

3. electronic equipment that detects the presence of radio signals or radioactivity

   Broader terms

   electronic equipment