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".

Examples of hologram in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This panel, employing some projection jiggery-pokery and likely some mirrors, projects Lucky into the space as a 3D hologram. —John Burek, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026

Those anticipating a life-sized Prince hologram or an interactive experience of his Minnesota life should lower their expectations before visiting. —Hannah Brueske, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026

Now, LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B wants to make that all feel a little less stressful with a life-sized AI hologram named Bridget. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026

Their sculptures enlist quantum interferometers—an apparatus of mirrors and lasers—as well as holograms to show that our culture’s insistence on independence is misguided and wrong on the most fundamental scale. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

holo- + -gram

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hologram

• abraham
• anagram
• cablegram
• cofferdam
• dendrogram
• diagram
• diaphragm
• epigram
• hexagram
• histogram
• instagram
• kilogram

Kids Definition

hologram

noun

ho·​lo·​gram ˈhō-lə-ˌgram  ˈhäl-ə- 

: a three-dimensional picture made by a complex pattern of light (as laser light)

Medical Definition

hologram

noun

ho·​lo·​gram ˈhō-lə-ˌgram  ˈhäl-ə- 

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

also : the pattern of interference itself