1
a
: a device that consists of a lightproof chamber with an aperture fitted with a lens and a shutter through which the image of an object is projected onto a surface for recording (as on a photosensitive film or an electronic sensor) or for translation into electrical impulses (as for television broadcast)
b
2
: the treasury department of the papal curia
see also:
Examples of camera in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The resulting charges included jacklighting, hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, theft of a cellular trail camera, failing to wear hunter orange during muzzleloading season and failing to game check a deer.
—
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
The photo was captured using a modified GoPro camera attached to one of Orion's four solar panels, which power the spacecraft by converting sunlight into usable electricity.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Even before cameras rolled, Lopez and Goldstein had immediate chemistry, says director Ol Parker, who most recently helmed the 2022 George Clooney-Julia Roberts romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise and 2018's Mamma Mia!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
She is clearly shaken by it all, but also realizes that if this is the hand she’s been dealt, an on-camera takedown might be imminent.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for camera
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Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
The photo was captured using a modified GoPro camera attached to one of Orion's four solar panels, which power the spacecraft by converting sunlight into usable electricity.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Even before cameras rolled, Lopez and Goldstein had immediate chemistry, says director Ol Parker, who most recently helmed the 2022 George Clooney-Julia Roberts romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise and 2018's Mamma Mia!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
She is clearly shaken by it all, but also realizes that if this is the hand she’s been dealt, an on-camera takedown might be imminent.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for camera
Cite this Entry
“Camera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camera. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
camera
noun
cam·era
ˈkam-(ə-)rə 
1
: a judge's private office
hearings held in camera
2
: a lightproof box fitted with a lens through which the image of an object is projected onto a surface that is sensitive to light for recording (as on film) or for converting into electrical signals (as for a live television broadcast)
Etymology
from Latin camera "room, chamber"; sense 2 from the scientific Latin phrase camera obscura, literally, "dark chamber" — related to chamber
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