scanner
noun
scan·ner
| \ ˈska-nər
\
\
Definition of scanner
: one that scans: such as
a
: a device for sensing recorded data (as in a bar code)
a supermarket scanner
b
: a radio receiver that sequentially scans a range of frequencies for a signal
c
: a device that scans an image (such as a photograph) or document (such as a page of text) especially for use or storage on a computer
d
: a medical device for scanning a living body to collect diagnostic information — see ct scanner
Examples of scanner in a Sentence
a price scanner at a supermarket
Recent Examples on the Web
This light bending, or refraction, degrades the quality of the image, especially to the left and right of the scanner’s light source. — Scientific American, "Test Pilot Geese, Planetary Wrecking Balls and Super AI Vision: The Week’s Best Science GIFs," 6 Sep. 2019 Illustrating this point, Spiegelhalter includes a 2009 study in which researchers put a subject into an fMRI scanner and analyzed the response in 8,064 brain sites while showing photographs of different human expressions. — Hannah Fry, The New Yorker, "What Statistics Can and Can’t Tell Us About Ourselves," 2 Sep. 2019 In the garage spot next to his (the qualifiers were held at the Fontana Speedway in San Bernardino County) was Dave Hall, who came to the race with a new invention, the first lidar scanner created for an autonomous vehicle. — Wired, "How Anthony Levandowski Put Himself at the Center of an Industry," 29 Aug. 2019 The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission uses several instruments – including a precipitation radar, microwave imager, visible and infrared scanner – to estimate rainfall. — Aondover Tarhule, The Conversation, "We use satellites to measure water scarcity," 13 Aug. 2019 Activity on Saturday’s Chicago police scanner frequencies included reports of efforts to tear down the fence barrier on the Lake Shore Drive side of the festival. — Jessi Roti, chicagotribune.com, "Lollapalooza day 3 ends with one death, four arrests, 30 hospital transfers," 4 Aug. 2019 That $34 product is essentially a stick with a button, built-in microphone for speaking to the Alexa voice assistant, and barcode scanner for shopping. — Heather Kelly, CNN, "Amazon to kill the Dash button, a button for ordering things from Amazon," 1 Aug. 2019 The iLAB, for example, will have 3D printers and photo scanners while the children’s area will feature interactive walls. — Zekriah Chaudhry, Twin Cities, "Heritage Library, Lakeville License Center to reopen after 9 months," 30 July 2019 Ritthaler allegedly used a scanner application during the burglaries, Jackson said. — Saja Hindi, The Denver Post, "Denver police radios go silent to the public as department switches to encrypted transmissions," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scanner.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for scanner
scanner
noun
English Language Learners Definition of scanner
: a device that reads or copies information or images into a computer
: a device that is used to see inside something
: a radio receiver that searches for a signal
See the full definition for scanner in the English Language Learners Dictionary
scanner
noun
scan·ner
| \ ˈska-nər
\
\
Kids Definition of scanner
: a device that converts a printed image (as text or a photograph) into a form a computer can display or alter
scanner
noun
scan·ner
| \ ˈskan-ər
\
\
Medical Definition of scanner
: a device (as a CT scanner) for making scans of a living body