camera

noun

cam·​era ˈkam-rə How to pronounce camera (audio)
ˈka-mə-rə
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)
2
: the treasury department of the papal curia
Phrases
off camera
1
: while not being filmed by a television or movie camera
he's a different person off camera
2
: outside the scope of a television or movie camera
sounds of gunfire taking place off camera
on camera
1
: before a live television camera
go on camera
also : while being filmed by a television or movie camera
looked relaxed on camera
2
: within the scope of a television or movie camera
you can hear a dog but he never appears on camera

Examples of camera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In addition to its wide lens camera, the doorbell has smart features like facial recognition, motion detection, and package detection to help monitor your front porch. Jessica Comstock, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Dec. 2024 At one point, the camera cuts to Carpenter, 25, sitting poolside in a black cardigan and pants to belt out the battlecry. Marina Watts, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024 Back on the ground, the camera observes Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee dismissed the year before from the JFK8 fulfillment center for his activism over proper measures to protect workers from COVID. Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024 But in the early 1800s, the invention of the camera gradually opened up that luxury to the middle class, especially as a way to memorialize important family moments, even deaths. Erin Sagen, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for camera 

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, room — more at chamber

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of camera was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near camera

Cite this Entry

“Camera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camera. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

camera

noun
cam·​era ˈkam-(ə-)rə How to pronounce camera (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on camera

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