tele·pho·to
ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō 
: being a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object
also
: relating to or being photography in which a telephoto lens is used
plural telephotos
1
: a telephoto lens
2
: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens
—used for an apparatus for transmitting photographs electrically or for a photograph so transmitted
Examples of telephoto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ewan Spence, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
Pixel 10 Camera: Telephoto Lens Added, But At What Cost?
Until now, Google has reserved telephoto lenses for its Pixel Pro and Pro Fold smartphones only, equipping its standard Pixel models with just two cameras at the rear.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 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
The 3x telephoto's palette matches the main shooter with good contrast and realistic color.
—PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Thankfully, the macro lens found on the OnePlus 12R has been replaced with an x2 telephoto camera.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
Pixel 10 Camera: Telephoto Lens Added, But At What Cost?
Until now, Google has reserved telephoto lenses for its Pixel Pro and Pro Fold smartphones only, equipping its standard Pixel models with just two cameras at the rear.
—Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 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
The 3x telephoto's palette matches the main shooter with good contrast and realistic color.
—PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telephoto
Cite this Entry
“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share