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

Explorer : 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

Haghighi also launches the story back beyond the Shah’s regime into earlier eras of Persian culture and into the history of Qeshm itself, where the English explorer William Baffin was killed in 1622. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026

But Jacobs, a biodiversity adviser in the Netherlands, is one of a growing number of fortunate underwater explorers. —ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026

Julia is also an amateur powerlifter, avid outdoor explorer, and proud cat mom to Jeeves, her long-haired tuxedo kitty. —Julia Sullivan, Outside, 26 Mar. 2026

French explorers brought Bacillus anthracis spores to American soil in the early 1700s. —Hannah Kinzer, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026

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