English · Word Candidate

explorer

/ɛkˈsplɔːɹə(ɹ)/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: explorers

Sense 1

Meaning · English

One who explores something

Noun

Examples

Sachs tries to remember how it felt not to walk around with this knot in his gut. He longs for his old lab in Connecticut, where the world was made of mathematics, energy, and atomic cascades, and he was its explorer. He has no business in these political orders of magnitude, where erroneous loyalti

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A person who by means of travel (notably an expedition) searches out new information.

Noun

Examples

Though now extinct, the rachni once threatened every species in Citadel space. Over 2000 years ago, explorers foolishly opened a mass relay to a previously-unknown system and encountered something never seen before or since: a species of spacefaring insects guided by a hive-mind intelligence.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

A participant in the Exploring program, which focuses on career exploration.

NounRegister: US

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

A participant in the Fire Service Exploring program.

NounRegister: US

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “explorer” mean?

One who explores something

Is “explorer” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.