1 explorer | Definition of explorer

explorer

noun
ex·​plor·​er | \ ik-ˈsplÈŻr-ər How to pronounce explorer (audio) \

Definition of explorer

1 : one that explores especially : a person who travels in search of geographical or scientific information
2 capitalized : a member of a coed scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America for young people ages 14 to 20 focusing on career awareness

Examples of explorer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Within a few short decades, British explorers were arriving in the Willandra area, followed by streams of white settlers. David Maurice Smith, Smithsonian, "A 42,000-Year-Old Man Finally Goes Home," 23 Aug. 2019 One day, these robots could serve as environmental sensors, interplanetary explorers or as medical devices in the body. Los Angeles Times, "This 3D-printed robot assembles itself and then rolls away," 22 Aug. 2019 The first paper money was used in China in the 13th century, as explorer Marco Polo discovered. Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "How Target Used Less Tech to Succeed—Data Sheet," 22 Aug. 2019 Published in 1927, the autobiography charts the French female explorer’s 14-year expedition to Tibet, between 1911 and 1925. Florence Derrick, CondĂ© Nast Traveler, "Meet the Woman Recreating the Journeys of History's Forgotten Female Explorers," 8 Aug. 2019 In 1718, the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville found a bit of high ground 100 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River and founded New Orleans where today Jackson Square sits. Elaine Glusac, New York Times, "Where to Celebrate a Centennial (or 3) in 2018," 11 Jan. 2018 But the famed polar explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson suggested that credit should return to the Inuit. David James, Anchorage Daily News, "In ‘North Pole: Nature and Culture,’ grappling with a place beyond time and measure," 3 Aug. 2019 In 1891, the American explorer Robert Peary and his team of expeditioners spent the interminably dark days of the Arctic winter camping on the northwestern tip of Greenland, preparing for a 600-mile trek across the northern part of the island. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, chicagotribune.com, "‘The Ice at the End of the World’ is melting: Book explores Greenland and the warning it raises for global climate change," 24 July 2019 As hundreds of millions of people watched on live television, Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first explorers to land and walk on the moon 50 years ago this weekend in one of the most daring and inspired feats in human history. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Back story: Don’t forget San Diego when celebrating Apollo 11," 21 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'explorer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of explorer

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for explorer

explorer

noun
ex·​plor·​er | \ ik-ˈsplƍr-ər, -ˈsplÈŻr- How to pronounce explorer (audio) \

Medical Definition of explorer

: an instrument for exploring cavities especially in teeth : probe sense 1

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