detector

Plural: detectors

Noun

• An instrument or device used for discovering something.
• 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
• rectifier that extracts modulation from a radio carrier wave
• electronic equipment that detects the presence of radio signals or radioactivity
• A device capable of registering a specific substance or physical phenomenon, and that optionally sounds an alarm or triggers a warning.
• 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.
• 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.

Examples

• His opponent’s silent smirk was a DETECTOR of a high-scoring play coming next.
• Smoke detectors are mandatory in public buildings.

Synonyms

demodulator, sensing element, sensor