hologram

noun

ho·lo·gram ˈhō-lə-ˌgram

ˈhä-

: a three-dimensional image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (such as a laser)

also : the pattern of interference itself

Did you know?

A hologram is a picture of a "whole" object, showing it in three dimensions. We've all seen cheap hologram images on credit cards and ID cards (where they help prevent copying). Far more impressive are large holograms that take the form of a ghostly 3-D moving figure that you can walk around to see from all angles. Holograms were invented in 1947 but only perfected after the invention of the laser in 1960. Today they're used in such technologies as compact-disc players and checkout scanners, and holograms can be created of the inside of live internal organs to permit doctors to examine the organs in great detail. And soon televisions with hologram technology may enable us to watch in "3-D".

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web On February 15, Disney’s official D23 fan account released video footage of a lifelike Walt hologram that speaks in his real voice, gesturing with his hands and making realistic facial expressions. —

Vulture, 15 Feb. 2023 And the memory continues appearing out of nowhere, vivid but out of focus like a hologram. —

Hazlitt, 15 Sep. 2022 Famed conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall is coming to the Field Museum next month, albeit in hologram form. —

Doug George, chicagotribune.com, 6 Apr. 2021 Like when Kanye bought that hologram of Robert Kardashian for Kim’s birthday, only somehow even weirder. —

Vulture, 22 Jan. 2023 The pair frequently worked together before McQueen's death in 2010; the designer famously featured a hologram of Moss in his Fall/Winter 2006 show in Paris. —

Lauren Lieberman, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2023 Attendees can interact with virtual chimpanzees, listen to a hologram of Goodall speak about her story, and finish the exhibit by signing a pledge to help the environment. —

Dallas News, 20 May 2022 In 2020, when Kanye got Kim a hologram of her late father for her birthday, writers quickly decried the gift as a move out of Black Mirror. —

Leo Kim, Wired, 14 Mar. 2022 While the Winehouse hologram waits in the wings for her big break, here’s all the cast, plot, and release-date details for Back to Black. —

Vulture, 14 Jan. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hologram.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.