kinetoscope
noun
ki·net·o·scope
kə-ˈne-tə-ˌskōp 
kī-
: a device for viewing through a magnifying lens a sequence of pictures on an endless band of film moved continuously over a light source and a rapidly rotating shutter that creates an illusion of motion
Examples of kinetoscope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The business allowed customers to access entertainment — music, speeches and, eventually, brief kinetoscope movies — for a nickel a spin.
—
Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2020
Photographer William Dickinson shot moving images on typical 35mm film for use in a kinetoscope, which was like a projector, but viewers had to watch moving images through a small hole in the machine itself.
—Stan Horaczek, Popular Science, 7 Apr. 2020
There was the light bulb and the phonograph, of course, but also the kinetoscope, the dictating machine, the alkaline battery, and the electric meter.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019
Edison’s kinetoscope originally showed films of boxers boxing.
—Corey Seymour, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2018
But ever since Edison and his kinetoscope, there have been women like Irwin and Daniels, who have emerged as entrepreneurs in an industry made for men and run by men.
Gloria Leonard started out as a bond trader on Wall Street in the 1960s.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2018
Visual culture was on the rise—on top of stereoscopes, Victorians were excitedly trading photographic calling cards, watching short films, and spinning kinetoscopes of looping animations that were, essentially, like today’s animated GIFs.
—Clive Thompson, Smithsonian, 30 Sep. 2017
Contemporary videogame technology is the equivalent of the kinetoscope.
—Chris Kohler, WIRED, 11 Jan. 2008
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Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2020
Photographer William Dickinson shot moving images on typical 35mm film for use in a kinetoscope, which was like a projector, but viewers had to watch moving images through a small hole in the machine itself.
—Stan Horaczek, Popular Science, 7 Apr. 2020
There was the light bulb and the phonograph, of course, but also the kinetoscope, the dictating machine, the alkaline battery, and the electric meter.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019
Edison’s kinetoscope originally showed films of boxers boxing.
—Corey Seymour, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2018
But ever since Edison and his kinetoscope, there have been women like Irwin and Daniels, who have emerged as entrepreneurs in an industry made for men and run by men.
Gloria Leonard started out as a bond trader on Wall Street in the 1960s.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2018
Visual culture was on the rise—on top of stereoscopes, Victorians were excitedly trading photographic calling cards, watching short films, and spinning kinetoscopes of looping animations that were, essentially, like today’s animated GIFs.
—Clive Thompson, Smithsonian, 30 Sep. 2017
Contemporary videogame technology is the equivalent of the kinetoscope.
—Chris Kohler, WIRED, 11 Jan. 2008
Cite this Entry
“Kinetoscope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinetoscope. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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