telephoto

1 of 3

adjective

tele·​pho·​to ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce telephoto (audio)
: 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The Pro model will see 5x telephoto, with 120mm focal length that was only on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Jonathan Limehouse, The Courier-Journal, 10 Sep. 2024 The 5x telephoto camera offers more detail for zoom photos. Hayden Field,ashley Capoot,kif Leswing,todd Haselton, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2024 Before now, the smaller Pro model has generally had a lesser telephoto camera. PCMAG, 27 Sep. 2024 Previously, the smaller Pro was limited to 3x optical telephoto. PCMAG, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for telephoto 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of telephoto was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near telephoto

telephony

telephoto

Telephoto

Cite this Entry

“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

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

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