explorer

noun

ex·​plor·​er ik-ˈsplȯr-ər 

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

The mission is named after the Fram, a steam-and-sail powered ship used by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen during his historic 1910-1912 expedition to the South Pole. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025

Wang and his three crewmates—filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, roboticist Rabea Rogge and polar explorer Eric Philips—all rode in Resilience, the Crew Dragon vehicle that has flown three other crews (two of them private) to space. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2025

That spark of curiosity, nurtured by a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, could blossom into the next generation of space explorers. —Shelli Brunswick, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Starting in the nineteen-fifties, Allen worked alongside the cosmic jazz explorer Sun Ra, as a member of the Arkestra, and he’s led the ensemble in the creator’s stead since 1995. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for explorer

• restorer
• borer
• corer
• horror
• maurer
• scorer
• storer

Kids Definition

explorer

noun

ex·​plor·​er ik-ˈsplōr-ər 

-ˈsplȯr-

1

: one that explores

a vehicle called the lunar explorer

especially : a person who travels in search of new geographical or scientific information

2

capitalized : a member of the scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America for young people 14 to 20 years old

Medical Definition

explorer

noun

ex·​plor·​er ik-ˈsplōr-ər, -ˈsplȯr- 

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