fiber optics

plural noun

1

: thin transparent fibers of glass or plastic that are enclosed by material of a lower refractive index and that transmit light throughout their length by internal reflections

also : a bundle of such fibers used in an instrument (as for viewing body cavities)

2

singular in construction : the technique of the use of fiber optics

Examples of fiber optics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Messer’s customers include electronics and fiber optics manufacturers, metal fabrication, welding and medical imaging companies, space exploration firms, defense equipment providers, and government and academic scientific research facilities. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025

The real reason to own this stock, according to Jim, is Corning’s fiber optics solutions. —Morgan Chittum,paulina Likos, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025

Scientists have successfully made germanium, a key semiconductor used in computer chips and fiber optics, superconducting for the first time. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025

And so that is still at the very beginning, the next frontier for us in AI, is what’s called the scale-up piece of the network as fiber replaces copper, fiber optics photons replace electrons, deeper and deeper in those GPU neural networks. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fiber optics

noun

1

plural : thin transparent enclosed fibers of glass or plastic that carry light by internal reflections

also : a bundle of such fibers used in an instrument

2

: the technique of the use of fiber optics

Medical Definition

fiber optics

noun plural

variants or chiefly British fibre optics

1

: thin transparent fibers of glass or plastic that are enclosed by material of a lower index of refraction and that transmit light throughout their length by internal reflections

also : a bundle of such fibers used in an instrument (as an endoscope)

2

singular in construction : the technique of the use of fiber optics

fiber-optic adjective

or chiefly British fibre-optic

ˈfī-bə-ˌräp-tik