telephoto

1 of 3

adjective

tele·​pho·​to ˌte-lə-ˈfō-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce telephoto (audio)
: 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

telephoto

2 of 3

noun

plural telephotos
1
: a telephoto lens
2
: a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens

Telephoto

3 of 3

trademark

used for an apparatus for transmitting photographs electrically or for a photograph so transmitted

Examples of telephoto in a Sentence

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Noun
The Chicago Times sent a special truck rigged with a developing room and telephoto lenses for long focal views. Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025 The telephoto camera is a major battleground for Android phone makers this year, with handsets from Honor, Vivo, and Xiaomi all featuring similar tech for long-distance shooting. PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025 The most important update for anyone who likes to play outside is that all three cameras—the ultra wide (13mm equivalent), standard (24mm equivalent), and telephoto (100mm equivalent)—all come with 48-megapixel sensors. Jakob Schiller, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025 Even the 3x telephoto lens of the iPhone 15 Pro is clearer and more detailed than the iPhone Air's 2x shot digitally zoomed to 3x. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for telephoto

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of telephoto was in 1893

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Cite this Entry

“Telephoto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telephoto. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

telephoto

adjective
tele·​pho·​to
ˌtel-ə-ˈfōt-ō
: being a camera lens designed to give a large image of a distant object

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