scanner

scanner — noun

1. a device that takes detailed internal images of the human body for medical diagn

1.nounB1
Definition

a device that takes detailed internal images of the human body for medical diagnosis, or an electronic reader that decodes bar codes or labels on products or travel documents.

Example

The hospital just bought a new CT scanner that produces clearer pictures of the brain.

CT scanner: medical imaging device for body scans

Jude held his boarding pass under the self-service scanner at the airport gate.

self-service scanner: code-reading device used by the public

Common collocations
  • body scanner
  • CT scanner
  • MRI scanner
  • bar-code scanner
  • security scanner
  • baggage scanner
Synonyms
  • reader

    used specifically for bar-code and card-reading devices, not for medical imaging

  • imager

    technical term for medical scanning equipment, less common in everyday language

Usage Note

In medical contexts, a scanner usually refers to a CT or MRI machine. In retail or travel, it usually means a bar-code or boarding-pass reader.

Common Mistakes

The doctor ordered a scanner of my chest.
The doctor ordered a scan of my chest.
Scanner is the machine; a scan is the image or procedure.

2. a machine that copies a physical document or photograph by turning it into a dig

2.nounB1
Definition

a machine that copies a physical document or photograph by turning it into a digital file that can be opened, changed, or saved on a computer.

Example

Lucía placed the old photo on the flatbed scanner and saved a digital copy.

flatbed scanner: a common type of document scanner with a glass surface

The office scanner can process up to thirty pages per minute in black and white.

Common collocations
  • flatbed scanner
  • document scanner
  • photo scanner
  • portable scanner
  • scanner software
  • sheet-fed scanner
Synonyms

Usage Note

Frequently combined with flatbed, sheet-fed, or portable to describe the type of device.

Common Mistakes

Could you scanner this contract and email it?
Could you scan this contract and email it?
Scanner is a noun; scan is the verb form.

3. a device that receives radio signals and automatically searches across many chan

3.nounB2
Definition

a device that receives radio signals and automatically searches across many channels, pausing on any channel where a transmission is active, often used to follow police, fire, or aircraft communications.

Example

Bilal tuned his radio scanner to the local police frequency to listen to traffic reports.

radio scanner: automatic frequency-scanning receiver

During the storm, many residents used scanners to follow emergency dispatches from the fire department.

Common collocations
  • police scanner
  • frequency scanner
  • scanner receiver
  • handheld scanner
  • ham radio scanner
  • aviation scanner
Synonyms

Usage Note

Commonly used by hobbyists, journalists, and emergency personnel to monitor police, fire, and air-traffic communications.

4. a rotating radar dish or antenna that sends out radio signals and picks up their

4.nounB2
Definition

a rotating radar dish or antenna that sends out radio signals and picks up their reflections to detect objects such as ships, aircraft, or weather patterns.

Example

The airport's radar scanner tracked the approaching aircraft from over sixty kilometres away.

radar scanner: rotating antenna for detecting distant objects

The ship's radar scanner rotated, searching for other vessels in the fog.

Common collocations
  • radar scanner
  • weather radar scanner
  • scanner dish
  • rotating scanner
  • scanner antenna
  • marine radar scanner
Synonyms
  • radar dish

    emphasizes the physical shape of the antenna

  • radar antenna

    technical term focusing on the signal-transmitting function

Usage Note

Subject is usually an airport control tower, ship, weather station, or military installation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

A scanner converts physical documents into digital files for storage or editing on a computer. A photocopier (or copier) makes paper copies directly onto another sheet of paper, without necessarily creating a digital file. A multifunction printer (also called an all-in-one) combines printing, scanning, copying, and sometimes faxing in a single machine. While a multifunction printer can scan documents, a dedicated scanner often produces higher-quality images and can handle more pages per minute. For example: 'I scanned the contract and emailed the PDF' versus 'I photocopied the contract and filed the paper copy.' If you only scan occasionally, an all-in-one may be enough — but for bulk digitising, a dedicated scanner is better.

scanner ↗photocopiermultifunction printer

Common collocations

Nouns

  • scanner data
  • scanner image
  • scanner bed
  • scanner resolution
  • scanner software

Adverbs

Phrases

  • pass through a scanner
  • run something through a scanner
  • put something on a scanner
  • feed into a scanner

Prepositions

  • through a scanner
  • on a scanner
  • with a scanner
  • by scanner

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Scanner comes from the verb scan, which traces back through Middle English scannen (to analyse verse metre) to Late Latin scandere (to climb). The meaning shifted from 'climb' to 'analyse metre' (stepping through a line of verse), then to 'examine closely' in the 1500s, and finally in the 1900s to 'use a device that reads or records by passing a beam over a surface or body.' The -er suffix turns the verb into a noun meaning 'a device that scans.'