Meaning & use
smoke detector
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A device fixed to a ceiling or wall that makes a loud noise when it senses smoke, warning people of a fire.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a smoke detector or smoke detectors. It is often followed by 'in' plus a room: a smoke detector in the kitchen.
Patterns
- a smoke detector in something
- install a smoke detector
- a smoke detector goes off
The smoke detector in the hallway started beeping because the battery was low.
Every apartment must have a working smoke detector near the bedrooms.
When the smoke detector went off, we all ran outside.
Word forms
| plural | smoke detectors |
|---|
Common combinations
- install a smoke detector
- We installed a smoke detector on every floor of the house.
- a smoke detector goes off
- The smoke detector goes off whenever I burn toast.
- check the smoke detector
- You should check the smoke detector once a month.
- a smoke detector battery
- The smoke detector battery needs to be replaced.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smoke alarm
- Common in British English and means the same thing; smoke detector is more common in American English.
- fire alarm
- A fire alarm can be a whole building's warning system, not just the small device on the ceiling.
Commonly confused: smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector?
smoke detector vs carbon monoxide detector
A carbon monoxide detector senses a poisonous gas, not smoke, so it does not warn you about a fire.
Practice
Our apartment has a ___ in the hallway that beeps when there is smoke.
Choose one answer.
The noun 'smoke detector' fits after 'a' and is the device itself. 'Smoke detection' is the process, not the object; 'smoking detector' is not a standard term; and 'smoke detector's' would need a following noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smoke detector”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.