tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

1

: a three-legged stand (as for a camera)

2

: a stool, table, or altar with three legs

3

: a vessel (such as a cauldron) resting on three legs

tripod adjective

or tripodal

ˈtri-pə-dᵊl 

ˈtrī-ˌpä-

Examples of tripod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Users say the rifle’s recoil is easier to handle because a large muzzle break and a sturdy tripod keep it steady after each shot. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025

But with the inability to do live shows for much of 2020-2021, and the meteoric growth of Matt Rife’s social media presence, many stand-ups swallowed their pride and bought a tripod. —David Zucker, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025

Tripod Projector Screen Elevate movie night with this Hearth and Home tripod projector screen that’s a best-seller (and on sale) at Target. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2025

Three years ago, a Chinese startup called Outask had a vision for a more versatile lantern, one with an upper body shell that splits out into a tripod with magnetic mounting – pretty cool, but ultimately not cool enough for the folks who built it. —New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin tripod-, tripus, from Greek tripod-, tripous, from tripod-, tripous, adjective, three-footed, from tri- + pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for tripod

• abroad
• applaud
• backboard
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod

Kids Definition

tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

1

: something (as a container or stool) resting on three legs

2

: a three-legged stand (as for a camera)

Medical Definition

tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

: a bone having three processes