stream·er / ˈstrēmər/ • n. a long, narrow strip of material used as a decoration or symbol: plastic party streamers | fig. a streamer of smoke. ∎  [usu. as adj.] a banner headline in a newspaper: his appearance was announced with a streamer headline. ∎  [usu. as adj.] Fishing a fly with feathers attached: a streamer fly. ∎  Astron. an elongated mass of luminous matter, e.g., in auroras or the sun's corona.

streamer A long (up to several kilometres) tube containing a number (sometimes many hundreds) of hydrophones and filled with oil, designed to be towed by a ship, and used in marine seismic surveying. It may be balanced to give it neutral buoyancy or have depth controllers to maintain it at a constant depth. Compass devices are attached at intervals to monitor the feather angle of the cable.

streamer Informal name for streaming tape transport.