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opera glass
noun
: a small low-power binocular without prisms for use at the opera or theater
—often used in plural
Examples of opera glass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
People do like screens and close-ups, which make opera glasses obsolete.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
In cities, people flocked to parks with binoculars — or opera glasses.
—Heller McAlpin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
To experience New York’s best people-watching for yourself, buy a Family Circle seat for under fifty dollars and bring opera glasses.
—The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2023
Newspaper ads of the day reveal a motley tenant roster that included the Sons of Temperance and an auction house selling odds and ends like seashells, opera glasses and pistols.
—John Freeman Gill, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
Eager to try out daguerrotypy, a photography method that had been invented just two months prior, Cornelius set up a large box camera with a lens fashioned from a pair of opera glasses, according to the Library of Congress.
—Scottie Andrew and Brian Ries, CNN, 21 June 2019
The black enameled opera glasses were recently acquired by M.S. Rau Antiques, a shop on the French Quarter's Royal Street.
—Fox News, 28 Sep. 2018
The magenta curtains were elegantly poised as if concertgoers were attending a proper theatrical performance begging to be seen through opera glasses.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 1 June 2018
Also among the Annenberg show’s 440 images is an 1839 self-portrait by Robert Cornelius, who built a camera with a box and lens from a pair of opera glasses to create an early selfie.
—Steve Appleford, latimes.com, 18 May 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1738, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near opera glass
Cite this Entry
“Opera glass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opera%20glass. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on opera glass
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about opera glass
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