periscope

noun

peri·​scope ˈper-ə-ˌskōp 

: a tubular optical instrument containing lenses and mirrors by which an observer obtains an otherwise obstructed field of view

Illustration of periscope

Examples of periscope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The periscope belonged to a miniature Japanese submarine operated by a two-man crew. —Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 23 Feb. 2025

The rest of the specs are solid and close to flagship, with a triple lens camera (50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide, and 12-megapixel periscope telephoto), fairly large 5,600 mAh battery, 16 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage. —Simon Hill, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2025

Plus, now my middle finger looked like a periscope. —Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2025

When another American vessel spotted a periscope peeking out of the waves nearby, the Ward and its 115 sailors — at least 85 of whom were St. Paulites — motored over to investigate. —Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 23 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for periscope

• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope
• endoscope
• envelope
• epitope
• gyroscope
• horoscope
• isotope
• microscope
• misanthrope

Kids Definition

periscope

noun

peri·​scope ˈper-ə-ˌskōp 

: an instrument containing lenses and mirrors by which an observer (as on a submerged submarine) can get a view that would otherwise be blocked

periscopic

ˌper-ə-ˈskäp-ik

adjective