telephoto

1 of 3

adjective

tele·​pho·​to ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō 

: being a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object

also : relating to or being photography in which a telephoto lens is used

telephoto

2 of 3

noun

plural telephotos

1

: a telephoto lens

2

: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens

Telephoto

3 of 3

trademark

—used for an apparatus for transmitting photographs electrically or for a photograph so transmitted

Examples of telephoto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Matte black and matte white Camera iPhone 16: Two rear camera lenses, 48-megapixel (wide) and 12-megapixel (ultrawide) with 2x telephoto zoom and 12-megapixel front-facing camera. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025

The best camera phones offer a primary wide camera, an ultrawide, and a telephoto zoom (usually at 5X zoom). —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, runway photography will also be taken on iPhones, as will close-ups using the telephoto capabilities. —Lily Templeton, WWD, 19 Jan. 2025

Having such a large telephoto sensor allows the camera to produce natural bokeh and capture more details and dynamic range. —Ben Sin, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing telephoto

• telephoto lens

Rhymes for telephoto

• hashimoto
• doto
• koto
• moto
• roto
• toto

Kids Definition

telephoto

adjective

tele·​pho·​to

ˌtel-ə-ˈfōt-ō

: being a camera lens designed to give a large image of a distant object