tele·pho·to
ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō 
: 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
plural telephotos
1
: a telephoto lens
2
: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens
—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
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
Victor Glover described peering at the long shadows of the lunar terminator through a telephoto lens and suddenly feeling transported down to that airless, forbidding landscape and imagining himself off-road driving among jagged peaks.
—Andrew Chaikin, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Many shots appear to be filmed with telephoto lenses, suggesting, via the camera’s distance from the action, Sasha’s distance from her own past and her struggle to remember.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Most of the images were taken by the four Artemis II astronauts using handheld Nikon cameras fitted with wide-angle and telephoto lenses.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
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Noun
Google phones have always excelled at taking pictures, with high-quality lenses and advanced post-processing, and the Pixel 8 Pro goes even further, with a 50MP main sensor, 48MP ultra-wide camera, and 48MP telephoto lens in the camera bar on the back of the device.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
Victor Glover described peering at the long shadows of the lunar terminator through a telephoto lens and suddenly feeling transported down to that airless, forbidding landscape and imagining himself off-road driving among jagged peaks.
—Andrew Chaikin, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Many shots appear to be filmed with telephoto lenses, suggesting, via the camera’s distance from the action, Sasha’s distance from her own past and her struggle to remember.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Most of the images were taken by the four Artemis II astronauts using handheld Nikon cameras fitted with wide-angle and telephoto lenses.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Cite this Entry
“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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