INSPECTOR

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An investigator who observes carefully

Example:

the examiner searched for clues

Synonyms:

examiner; inspector

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("inspector" is a kind of...):

investigator (someone who investigates)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inspector"):

bank examiner (an examiner appointed to audit the accounts of banks in a given jurisdiction)

checker (one who checks the correctness of something)

scrutiniser; scrutinizer (a careful examiner; someone who inspects with great care)

canvasser; scrutineer (someone who examines votes at an election)

Derivation:

inspect (examine carefully for accuracy with the intent of verification)

inspectorship (the office of inspector)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A high ranking police officer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("inspector" is a kind of...):

officer; police officer; policeman (a member of a police force)

Derivation:

inspectorship (the office of inspector)

Credits

Context examples:

When the inspector and a constable entered the house, Arthur, who had stood sullenly with his arms folded, asked me whether it was my intention to charge him with theft.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“The windows are all dark,” remarked the inspector.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Anyway, the company said they were out of that model, but it would be delivered in ten days. (Mercury was still retrograde.) The mattress came to the delivery warehouse, and the inspector noticed damage.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Mr. Brocklehurst, who, from his wealth and family connections, could not be overlooked, still retained the post of treasurer; but he was aided in the discharge of his duties by gentlemen of rather more enlarged and sympathising minds: his office of inspector, too, was shared by those who knew how to combine reason with strictness, comfort with economy, compassion with uprightness.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

From these embers the inspector disinterred the butt end of a green cheque book, which had resisted the action of the fire; the other half of the stick was found behind the door; and as this clinched his suspicions, the officer declared himself delighted.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The young inspector winced at my companion’s ironical comments.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Well, we can only possess our soul in patience until this excellent inspector come back for us.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Really, now!” cried the inspector, “you have formed your opinion! Come, now, we shall see who agrees with you. I say it is south, for the country is more deserted there.”