1
a
: a piece of transparent material (such as glass) that has two opposite regular surfaces either both curved or one curved and the other plane and that is used either singly or combined in an optical instrument for forming an image by focusing rays of light
b
: a combination of two or more simple lenses
c
: a piece of glass or plastic used (as in safety goggles or sunglasses) to protect the eye
2
: a device for directing or focusing radiation other than light (such as sound waves, radio microwaves, or electrons)
3
: something shaped like a biconvex optical lens
lens of sandstone
4
: a highly transparent biconvex lens-shaped or nearly spherical body in the eye that focuses light rays (as upon the retina) see eye illustration
5
: something that facilitates and influences perception, comprehension, or evaluation
viewing the current legal battle … through partisan lenses—
New Republic
New RepublicExamples of lens in a Sentence
Noun
Make sure the lens of the microscope is clean.
Recent Examples on the WebEugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024
Nearly six feet tall with long blond hair and usually toting a camera lens the size of a small howitzer, Groo is soft-spoken and deliberate.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The date aperture and Cyclops lens have also been moved across the dial from 3 to 9 o’clock.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024
Whether in front of the lens or behind the scenes, voices rang out, proclaiming this as a watershed moment—a new and enduring elevation of the sport.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
But, then again, seeing a face presented as crude data reminds us of the power of a lens in collaboration with an actual human body.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
The essayist’s sports memoir explores the meaning of basketball through both a personal and societal lens.
3 THE CREATIVE ACT (Penguin, $32).
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The film also explores the psychological effects of an individual being separated from society for an extended period of time through the same lens.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
It’s recommended to hold a pair of eclipse glasses over the camera lens.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 6 Oct. 2023
With his growing reputation, Sandgren was chosen by Gus Van Sant to lens his Promised Land.
—Angela Dawson, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021
Kusijanović tapped cinematographer Hélène Louvart (The Lost Daughter, Never Rarely Sometimes Always) to lens her story.
—Hilton Dresden, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2023
The many bits of space junk orbiting Earth, from foil scraps to lens caps to chunks of frozen urine, can damage satellites and spacecraft, which is why researchers have long sought methods to remove debris from orbit.
—Patrick Morgan, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2011
Optical stabilization moves lens elements to compensate for any motion, a useful feature for getting sharper handheld photos.
—PCMAG, 9 Dec. 2022
Spain, which could be interpreted as reference to another hike in the rebate cap for international shoots, currently at €10 million ($10.3 million) on mainland Spain, to encourage big movies to lens for longer in Spain.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 22 Nov. 2022
If the gambit pays off, Coogler & Co. won’t be returning to Lagos simply to walk the red carpet, but also to lens future chapters of Marvel’s blockbuster, multibillion-dollar franchise.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Nov. 2022
Original cinematographer Dean Cundey, who went on to lens Jurassic Park and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, ensures that the film looks as visually gorgeous as the original, full of unsettlingly dark nighttime imagery and eerie point-of-view camerawork.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2022
Noun
First published in 1989 by W.W. Norton, author John Perlin looked at the rise and fall of civilizations through the lens of the forests that supported them, and then showed how, time after time, subsequent deforestation contributed to a civilization’s collapse.
—Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024
Nearly six feet tall with long blond hair and usually toting a camera lens the size of a small howitzer, Groo is soft-spoken and deliberate.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
The date aperture and Cyclops lens have also been moved across the dial from 3 to 9 o’clock.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024
Whether in front of the lens or behind the scenes, voices rang out, proclaiming this as a watershed moment—a new and enduring elevation of the sport.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
But, then again, seeing a face presented as crude data reminds us of the power of a lens in collaboration with an actual human body.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
The essayist’s sports memoir explores the meaning of basketball through both a personal and societal lens.
3 THE CREATIVE ACT (Penguin, $32).
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The film also explores the psychological effects of an individual being separated from society for an extended period of time through the same lens.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
It’s recommended to hold a pair of eclipse glasses over the camera lens.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
Structured as a six-episode, one-hour drama, the series is scheduled to lens in English by 2025.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 6 Oct. 2023
With his growing reputation, Sandgren was chosen by Gus Van Sant to lens his Promised Land.
—Angela Dawson, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021
Kusijanović tapped cinematographer Hélène Louvart (The Lost Daughter, Never Rarely Sometimes Always) to lens her story.
—Hilton Dresden, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2023
The many bits of space junk orbiting Earth, from foil scraps to lens caps to chunks of frozen urine, can damage satellites and spacecraft, which is why researchers have long sought methods to remove debris from orbit.
—Patrick Morgan, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2011
Optical stabilization moves lens elements to compensate for any motion, a useful feature for getting sharper handheld photos.
—PCMAG, 9 Dec. 2022
Spain, which could be interpreted as reference to another hike in the rebate cap for international shoots, currently at €10 million ($10.3 million) on mainland Spain, to encourage big movies to lens for longer in Spain.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 22 Nov. 2022
If the gambit pays off, Coogler & Co. won’t be returning to Lagos simply to walk the red carpet, but also to lens future chapters of Marvel’s blockbuster, multibillion-dollar franchise.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Nov. 2022
Original cinematographer Dean Cundey, who went on to lens Jurassic Park and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, ensures that the film looks as visually gorgeous as the original, full of unsettlingly dark nighttime imagery and eerie point-of-view camerawork.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lens.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lens
Cite this Entry
“Lens.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lens. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
lens
noun
variants
also lense
1
: a curved piece of glass or plastic used singly or combined in eyeglasses or an optical instrument (as a microscope) for forming an image by focusing rays of light
2
: a device for directing or focusing radiation other than light (as sound waves, radio microwaves, or electrons)
3
: a highly transparent biconvex lens-shaped or nearly spherical body in the eye that focuses light rays entering the eye typically onto the retina, lies immediately behind the pupil, is made up of slender curved rod-shaped ectodermal cells in concentric lamellae surrounded by a tenuous mesoblastic capsule, and alters its focal length by becoming more or less spherical in response to the action of the ciliary muscle on a peripheral suspensory ligament
lensed
adjective
lensless
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share