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
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Noun
Best telephoto zoom lens The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR is a telephoto zoom lens that covers a midrange of focal lengths for the APS-C X-series cameras. Harry Bennett, Space.com, 3 July 2025 For example, the triple camera system here is great, but the results from the telephoto and ultrawide are noticeably not as sharp as the photos captured on the cheaper 9 Pro devices. Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 17 May 2025 Griffey has all of his own photography equipment, including the long telephoto lenses. Steve Reed, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2025 Pixel 10’s New Camera Feature Google looks set to make a switch with its macro photography option for the Pixel 10 family by moving the feature from the ultrawide hardware into the telephoto hardware. Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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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