range finder

noun

1

: an instrument used in gunnery to determine the distance of a target

2

: a surveying instrument (such as a transit) for determining quickly the distances, bearings, and elevations of distant objects

3

: a usually built-in adjustable optical device for focusing a camera that automatically indicates the correct focus (as when two parts of a split image are brought together)

Examples of range finder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Secret Service’s own review of the shooting revealed the agency’s officers weren’t using the same radios as local authorities the day of the shooting, so warnings about a suspicious man with a range finder were delayed. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024

The messages, obtained by Fox News Digital from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who obtained them from Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, showed that officers flagged 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks after he was spotted using a range finder – but did not approach him. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 29 July 2024

Trump shooting live updates: Witnesses saw gunman with duffel bag and range finder Federal authorities say Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the ear in an assassination attempt at the rally on Saturday. —Will Steakin, ABC News, 18 July 2024

During a press conference Friday, executives explained the safety switches for the lander’s two range finder lasers were enabled, meaning they couldn’t be used to guide the craft during its landing, The New York Times reports. —Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 26 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

range finder

noun

: a device used to find out the distance of an object (as a target)